For Better Or Worse?
by butterfly collective
Summary: Just something I was working on...after season 3 Ethan's got to find a wife quick and Amelia returns to Paradise to fulfill a promise
1. Chapter 1

Amelia rode in the stagecoach as it neared Paradise. She shared it with two other women, both young and beautiful. They'd gotten on at Virginia City while she'd been returning from Salt Lake City where she'd been living for a month on a cattle ranch. She'd stopped there because it reminded her of the one back home...back in Australia.

The one she'd left behind forever to come to America for what her parents hoped would be a better life. She'd been restless back in the family ranch which bordered the Outback, a godly mass of land that stretched beyond what the eye could see. No end to it at all, she knew from riding a good stretch of it on horseback with the ranch hands.

One of them Hank had nearly died from a snake bite on the last trip…whisking Amelia out of danger when she'd nearly stepped on its nest. Australia crawled with snakes of different colors, different lifestyle most of them able to kill a grown man in less than a couple of minutes.

Some of the snakes were of the two footed kind. She had learned that too when she'd been kidnapped one too many time by bandits hoping to extort money out of her parents. They'd arrived dirt poor from Ireland looking for a better life in the promised land…proving that there was more for the continent to do than provide housing and hard labor for outlaws who'd been sent there to live and work off their sentences.

So it'd been time to ship her off to America to stay with some distant cousins who had an estate in San Francisco. But far from being educated and reared in much wealthier circumstances, she'd found herself working from sunrise to sunset cooking and cleaning for the family who lived there.

But that was the distant past…not to think about right now, she had to concentrate on getting back to Paradise and to the man she'd left there with a broken heart.

"I can't wait to get there," one of them, a redhead named Edwina said, "There's a lot of miners moving back there now that they've hit a new vein in the side of some mountain."

Amelia hadn't known that once again there'd been a lucky strike in Paradise…just the bits and pieces from listening to the women next to her for the past day. It was obvious that she was looking for a good time and maybe to snag herself a man to take care of her and share all his newfound wealth. It'd hardly be the first time that happened…it'd become a profession in itself. She was a businesswoman herself, some might have called her no nonsense and obsessed with it before getting to know her better. But she couldn't bring that part of her into a relationship.

Not that she'd ever wanted to fall in love again after her husband Pierce had dodged some angry men he'd swindled leaving her in the lurch with their bank.

Her bank…and she'd ran it well up to the moment she sold it and she'd fallen in love along the way. This time a man who couldn't have been more different than Pierce even though she'd nearly written him off at first.

But she'd hurt him, she knew that now that she'd put her own feelings aside. The fear, the sadness, the certainty that both would rule her life the moment that Ethan Cord's chosen profession got him killed. It was bound to happen; it almost did more than once. How many times had she shed tears thinking he was lying dead with a bullet in him somewhere, how many times had she held onto him so tightly when he'd been near death?

Too many times she'd decided, too many interrupted weddings, an engagement which split them apart more than ever.

So she'd done like Pierce had done and just bolted…only in her case she'd at least said goodbye. She'd run into her ex not too long ago and he'd seemed gleeful that she and Ethan hadn't worked out but she sent him packing soon enough, telling him their ship had sailed. Seeing Pierce again just made her miss Ethan all the more.

She'd had some adventures, had her fun and then decided to go back home…the only home on this earth for her.

The other woman, Stella smiled at Edwina. She had her own plans for what she'd do when she got there. She had been sent there to get herself a husband…as some sort of mail order bride. She'd waxed about how handsome the man had looked in his photo. Amelia had him pegged as a miner or maybe a storekeeper…who knows maybe Axelrod himself had decided he'd been a bachelor long enough.

But then Stella started getting more specific.

"He's the town marshal you know," she said, "Isn't that wonderful?"

Amelia's brows shot up. What the…what had Ethan decided to do?

"Excuse me…you mentioned the town marshal," she said, "You mean Ethan Cord?"

Stella looked over at her.

"Why yes…who else I would mean," she said, "I mean he doesn't exactly know I'm coming…I was sent by someone else to make him happy."

Amelia thought, of all the crazy things. Who would have done such a thing she thought…and then it came to her in a flash.

"Pierce…"

* * *

Ethan knew he had to get the children dressed and ready to go into town after they'd done their chores on the ranch. They had enough time to meet the stagecoach where he would meet the woman that had been sent to marry him. He didn't know much about her just that she'd looked pretty enough in her photo and had been looking for a husband.

He had talked to the circuit judge who had traveled from Stockton to inform him that he needed to get married if he wished to keep his sister's children with him.

"I don't know why you have to get married," Claire said, "Isn't there another way?"

They were riding on the wagon to town and Claire had never been happy about having to suddenly get a stepmother she'd never known just to stay together with the only family they had left after their mama died and their daddy abandoned them.

"I don't know Claire," Ethan sighed, "The judge was very insistent on it when he heard the case. "

It had started when it turned out that Lucy had left a will after all. She'd shipped the children to Paradise and him before her death and it was assumed that as the only known living relative that he'd be raising them…even on his own if necessary.

But a codicil had surfaced in the will that he'd only get the children if he could provide them with a mother. Lucy had known that they'd need a mother just as much as a father and she'd assumed that Ethan would have found himself a wife by then.

So since there were few single women in Paradise, he'd put an advertisement in a newspaper and face it, he'd been desperate. This was not how he liked to find women let alone finding one to marry and help him raise the children.

There'd been only one woman on God's green earth as Claire might call it that he wanted to marry. But he hadn't seen her since she got on the stagecoach and left Paradise. It'd been the longest six months of his life since she left. John Taylor had said she'd come back but so far no sign of her not even a letter or telegram.

George piped up.

"What does she look like," he said, "Is she pretty?"

Ethan couldn't answer that question yet. He hadn't seen her except for the faded photo but he didn't know how long ago that had been taken. At this point it didn't matter much because all he wanted to do was find someone to marry before the judge ruled that he wasn't fit to raise the children on his own.

He'd do anything for his niece and nephews, his own flesh and blood…he just didn't think he'd ever be marrying under the gun. Somehow he'd find a way to make it work.

"I don't know George…I would think so based on the photo."

Claire shook her head.

"I can't believe you're doing this Uncle Ethan…this isn't the way it's supposed to happen."

He sighed.

"Claire…I told you if I don't get married…you're not going to be able to stay with me. You'll be sent to an orphanage or on one of those orphan trains…remember that?"

She fell silent because she did remember the orphan trains when they came to Paradise.

"I can't let that happen to you or the boys…no matter what."

George frowned.

"We're going on the train?"

He glanced over at his youngest nephew with his eyes widening.

"No George…we're meeting the stagecoach, I told you that."

George just nodded and went to go sit down with Ben as Ethan turned the wagon off the road into town onto the main strip. People were milling about as they often did when the stagecoach was due to arrive. He got off the wagon near the wire office and tied the horses to the post. Dakota stood outside the Marshal's office.

"Took you long enough to get here."

Ethan just looked at his deputy.

"Any trouble during the night…?"

Dakota shook his head and sighed.

"Circuit preacher's due in by the end of the week," he said, "in case anyone needs to get baptized, buried or…married."

Ethan flexed his jaw.

"I might take him up on the last one," he said, "Judge didn't tell me how much time I have to get the children a mother…"

Dakota smirked.

"Your wife is on the stage isn't she?"

Ethan scratched the back of his neck.

"There might be more than one," he said, "I got several responses to my ad and they're coming to Paradise."

Dakota studied his friend.

"You don't look too thrilled to be heading to the altar."

Ethan sighed.

"I'm not much into whirlwind courtships and shot gun weddings…"

Dakota narrowed his eyes.

"Shotgun weddings…she hasn't been here long enough to get her into trouble…"

Ethan frowned.

"You know what I mean," he said, "I'm only doing this so I can keep the children…I don't want them being raised by strangers…or winding up on one of those orphan trains."

Dakota nodded.

"I get that…a man's got to do what a man's got to do but getting married?"

"The children aren't orphans and I won't have them treated that way," Ethan said, "If that means getting married to keep them with the only family they got, then that's what I got to do."

Dakota smiled.

"Okay…what about Amelia?"

A sore subject with Ethan and most everyone in town knew that but some like Dakota just didn't care enough to shut up about it.

"What about her? She left me remember," Ethan said, "I haven't heard from her in six months. She didn't want a man who could get killed and leave her raising his children."

Dakota arched his brows.

"Who can blame her," he said, "I think you're a great marshal and a good man but you put that woman through hell always having to worry about you, take care of you…but then that's Amelia's problem…hooking up with men who need a strong woman to take care of them."

Ethan didn't like that one bit.

"What do you mean…I need a strong woman to take care of me? I don't need anyone to take care of me…I've done just fine without a wife."

Dakota chortled.

"Yeah…right Ethan…how many times has Amelia had to drop everything and sit by your bedside and wonder whether you'd live or die…compared to that a husband running off on her might seem like nothing."

Ethan bristled and looked again for the stage coach.

"Where is it? Stan's running late this morning."

Dakota shrugged.

"I heard that it popped a wheel and had to stop in Silver Ridge…it'll be along when it gets fixed."

Ethan sighed, wondering if this day would get any less pleasant. But as he looked out to see Claire chiding Ben and George for running too close to Axelrod's produce stand he knew he wouldn't have it any other way.

No one was taking away the children from him…no one.

* * *

Amelia sat in a restaurant while the stagecoach's wheel was being replaced. Good for them it'd popped off when they'd been about to stop to do mail service in Silver Ridge. Better than being stranded for several hours out in the wilderness.

Edwina sat down and ordered from the menu. She hadn't been as talkative as Stella who was still freshening up before joining them.

"So you answered the ad too?"

Amelia just looked at the other woman.

"The what…?"

Edwina smiled.

"The one in the paper to marry the marshal in Paradise," she said, "He's got four kids and they need a mother to raise them."

Amelia thought that odd. Ethan had been raising them on his own for over a year as a single parent.

"Really…so he wanted a mail order bride?"

Edwina shrugged.

"Guess so…I answered it," she said, "Bought myself some new clothes…I've always wanted to get married to a nice man. What about you? I know Stella thinks she's going to get him but she's wrong."

Amelia frowned.

"What is this, some kind of contest?"

Edwina smiled.

"It'll have to be if there's more than one of us wouldn't you think? He's going to have to choose from among us…can't marry more than one woman."

"I would imagine so…but no I'm not going to Paradise to marry the marshal," Amelia said, "I'm there on business."

That was true…she had made a promise to someone…and it had gotten so complicated…too much so. She didn't know if she was ready to see him again.

Not that it mattered since he had gone out ordering himself mail order brides…so whatever they had shared was in the past.

Most likely where it belonged….she just wished she didn't wonder otherwise. It wouldn't do her any good. When she had left him she hadn't expected to return.

Life had a way of bringing two people together whether they were ready for it or not.


	2. Chapter 2

Ethan heard from Scotty who'd just left the wire office that the stage was running late due to repairs that had to be made in Silver Ridge. The passengers were stopping over for a meal until the stagecoach was fixed and then they'd be heading to Paradise.

Claire had gone after her younger brothers when they'd headed off to meet up with Mr. Lee's two adopted sons in the area near the schoolhouse. He knew that they'd be in good hands with her while he checked on Charlie in his office.

His other deputy sat there in his chair, his boots on the desk but when he saw Ethan, he scrambled on his feet. Ethan knew that Charlie harbored some fantasies about being the town marshal but he was secretly relieved that Ethan held that position. He was content most of the time in being a deputy when he saw what the marshal had to deal with during the not so quiet times in Paradise.

Just a couple weeks ago he'd been sitting on the swing on the porch of where Amelia had lived and watched the sun go down. It let him be a bit closer to her even though likely she was miles away and not thinking of him at all. Maybe she'd found some other fellow that suited her better than a die in the wool marshal who had always lived by the gun. He knew she'd deserved the best that life had to give her.

He'd moved on anyway just like she had done and now he would be marrying and settling down himself with a wife and mother for his children…once he figured out which woman who answered his ad was the most suitable. That shouldn't be too tough right, he just didn't know how much time he had left before the judge would enact the order that might take the children away from him.

"Sorry boss…I was finishing up some of the paperwork."

Ethan shrugged, knowing that Charlie read and wrote better than he did and he preferred the work out in the field than being holed up in an office.

"I was just meeting the stagecoach but it's running late."

Charlie sighed.

"Yeah, broke a wheel but lucky they were just outside Silver Crest when it happened," he said, "Mail will be in soon…expecting anything?"

Ethan paused. He knew that word had gotten around town that he'd been looking for a wife. He'd seen how people had looked at him differently.

"I'm meeting someone…"

Charlie arched a brow.

"Heard it was more than one person…I heard you were meeting some women."

Ethan clenched his jaw.

"Word gets around town fast."

Charlie shrugged.

"Things are slow now…people talk when there's not much going on," he said, "maybe some gang will ride in to try and rob the bank and that'll all change."

Ethan hoped not, yeah things had been slower lately but he didn't need anything to distract him away from trying to find himself a mother for the children. There would be women on the stagecoach who had traveled many miles to see him…he'd get them settled in the hotel and then wait until the next day to start talking to them.

Claire had told him he needed to get a list of interview questions and he was trying to think some up. But he'd never been in this position before and all he wanted to know was whether they were up to living in a house with a husband and family and raising children.

George ran into the office. Ethan saw the excitement on his face.

"What is it George?"

"Mr. Lee is selling fireworks in his store and Ben wants to get some."

Ethan remembered that the Founder's Day picnic was on the horizon and Matilda had headed the committee for the celebration. Not too much interest in it this year, it ebbed and flowed along with everything else in Paradise, a town that had boomed and busted several times in the past 10 years. The last boom…the one that took place when he'd been engaged to Amelia looked like it might take…but the poisoning from the copper mine had been the latest setback faced by the town.

Grumbling had grown and some business owners were thinking about packing up and leaving if the town didn't pull itself out of its slump this time.

"George…I'll talk about it later," he said, "I've got work to do here."

His youngest nephew pouted.

"You've always got work…and when's our new mother coming on the coach?"

Ethan's eyes widened slightly. So even George had gotten wind of what he'd planned…the boy gazed at him, waiting for an answer.

"I don't know the answer to that George," Ethan said, "We'll have to wait until the coach shows up."

George shrugged his shoulders and took off running out of the store back to Mr. Lee's, Ethan assumed as he looked through the latest wanted posters on his desk. He saw that Tex Carlton was back in business with his brothers, robbing banks and postal services in several towns.

Dakota walked in with a wire.

"Something just came in regarding a missing baby in Virginia City," he said, "Don't have much information about it."

Ethan figured more would be forthcoming once the marshal in that city learned more about it but baby thefts weren't common.

"Coach should be leaving soon," Dakota said, "Wheel's fixed…so the mail will be here and your future wife…"

Ethan caught the humorous tone in his deputy's voice but paid it no mind. He knew what he had to do and was going to do it.

* * *

Amelia noticed that the wheel had been fixed after she'd finished eating a tasty meal with both Edwina and Stella who had chatted nonstop about what they hoped to find in Paradise.

"Oh, I hope they have a real theater," Stella said, "I remember in Reno how they used to have live shows."

Edwina shrugged.

"I'd like for there to be a nice store with some nice dresses," she said, "and plenty of nice places to eat. I mean the town marshal must have plenty of money right?"

Stella sniffed.

"I should hope so…for doing that dangerous work," she said, "I bet he's very brave."

Amelia just bit her lip not saying anything. These women were in for a shock if they thought Paradise was a bustling city filled with places to go and things to see. It had been about to sink into another period of bust by the time she'd left…but even though there was a lot that it didn't have, she had still missed it.

Not to mention the people she'd left behind…but she couldn't think about that. She had a job to do and she had promised that she'd do it. When she'd bought a ticket to go back to Paradise, she knew her fate had been set in motion. She hadn't wanted to return there…but she couldn't think of anywhere else to go and it wouldn't be for long. It'd be tough she knew that because she still loved the man she'd left but that was over and besides, if he was shopping around for a wife then he'd clearly moved on from their broken relationship.

"How much longer will it take to get there?"

Stella had been fidgeting with her hair coiffed up in a bun but Amelia knew the stagecoach ride would make short work of that because they had the roughest part of it ahead of them. The road had suffered badly from the rains and the part of it that wove around the mountains before descending back down into the valley would seriously test them.

Amelia had brained her hair before wearing it above her neck. It'd been a rather hot day so they'd been staying in the shade after eating until the driver told them to get back on the coach.

"It'll take several more hours," Amelia said, "and it'll be quite bumpy once we head into the mountains."

Stella didn't look thrilled by that but if she intended to settle into Paradise, better get used to live in a dusty, rustic town. Amelia wasn't going back there to live but for a short spell…she was hoping to get a wire by the time she arrived her updating the plan. But she knew she might have to be patient and wait longer…so much was at stake.

The driver came to them to tell them to get aboard and so the three women did along with a man who had been eating in the restaurant at his own table but looking over at them. He sat next to Amelia across from the other two women. She smiled at him.

"Hi…you are heading to Paradise?"

The man nodded.

"I'm there to do business," he said, "I'm Clay Winston."

"Nice to meet you," Amelia said, "We should be there in a few hours….I'm Amelia Lawson…"

He nodded slightly.

"You're not from there originally?"

She looked at him puzzled.

"Your accent…not American I know that."

Amelia shook her head.

"I'm from Australia but I've been here quite a while."

"I'm from back East originally," Clay said, "but I've traveled all over…on business."

The stagecoach started moving and heading on the road outside of town on its bumpy way to Paradise.

* * *

Ethan sighed as he finished the posters and looked up at Dakota.

"I don't think that Carlton's heading this way so it should stay pretty quiet."

Dakota smiled.

"Not that I'm complaining," he said, "More time at the poker table."

Ethan knew that Dakota had been striking it pretty rich there and not getting into too many fights which made his life easier.

"That'll give you more time to pick the woman you're going to court…"

"Court?"

"Yeah you know…court before the two of you get married of course," Dakota said, "isn't that how it's usually done?"

Yeah, Ethan knew that, it's how it had worked out with Amelia only it hadn't worked out but this time there wouldn't be enough time…he felt that he had to get married quick. Not that he wanted it, but he supposed he'd get used to the reality of it. What choice had he been given?

"Don't have time to court…have time to decide and that's about it."

Dakota chuckled.

"Maybe it's best that way anyway," he said, "Cut right to the chase…that's one way to get married."

Ethan didn't respond back. He just wasn't the spur of the moment type when it came to women. He'd caroused his share of times during his life but when he'd realized that the woman he'd wanted was right there in front of him…even before she did…he realized that was all behind him. For him, there just didn't seem to be anyone else…if only they had worked out.

But they hadn't…it'd been complicated why and it had been for the best because she had left him after all. Now he had to find someone else and get the deed done.

He wasn't about to lose the children due to any cold feet on his part.


	3. Chapter 3

Stella and Edwina looked like they might be sick. The stagecoach had been lurching back and forth as it navigated the narrow trail through the mountains on its way to Paradise. Amelia thought they might get so sick they'd lose the food they'd just eaten and she braced herself for that…hoping they were close enough to the window to make sure whatever they vomited, it didn't wind up inside the stage.

The driver didn't stop for coach sickness…he had a schedule to keep and he was already several hours behind it. The mail that had been stashed on the stage had to get to its destination along with the passengers. Amelia felt her own stomach lurch but she focused on the scenery flashing past her as they traveled. There were trees on either side of them, looming tall above them and stretches of rocky meadow.

The road pocked so badly in some places the coach nearly became airborne and she saw Stella and Edwina nearly fly out of their seats. She had to smile at that…remembering her own early experiences on stagecoaches. She then remembered one of them she'd taken when a man came riding hard on horseback to stop the stage…to stop her from leaving Paradise. She'd gotten out stunned so sure that Ethan and she had said goodbye to each other until he'd shown up like that. A few words she didn't remember which ones later, he'd swept her into his arms and they'd kissed as the stage left without them.

The last time she'd left Paradise she warned Ethan not to come after her, or try to stop her and he hadn't…of course he'd just been shot by his former brother in law and wasn't fit to ride a horse. But she knew if he'd really been determined he would have done it to stop her. But that was then and now…after six months life had moved on for both of them.

"God I'm going to be sick, how much longer?"

Amelia looked over at Edwina and saw her face had turned a shade of green. She felt some sympathy for the woman.

"Just make sure if you're going to lose your meal, make sure it goes out the window."

Edwina just nodded and Amelia knew that if she were going to make it in Paradise let alone as the wife of someone like Ethan, she'd need to toughen up fast. Stella looked like she might join Edwina at the window.

"I really hope it gets smoother once we get off the mountain…"

Amelia smiled.

"It'll get better when we hit the main road in the valley…by the ranches," she said, "so you might want to hold on until then."

The two women just nodded and Amelia focused on the scenery which she recognized having done this journey so far. She tried not to think of what it meant to return to Paradise…to her house and to…Ethan. She expected he'd be waiting for the woman who'd be his wife…which right now looked to be between Edwina and Stella. They were both pretty women, dressed nicely and very pleasing to the eye, so Ethan's bride whoever it might be would flatter him. She'd thought about herself in that situation not too long ago but she knew that if they were meant to be married, it would have happened.

"The wire said I…we'd be staying in a nice hotel in town," Stella said, "with a nice restaurant downstairs and a parlor. I can't wait to get myself cleaned up and meet him."

Edwina nodded.

"He'll be meeting us at the station," she said, "That's what my wire said and we'll be eating dinner with him later in the evening."

Amelia smiled.

"That sounds quite nice," she said, "a perfect ending to a long trip."

They both looked at her suddenly.

"What about you? You're not interested in marrying the marshal are you?"

Amelia felt startled at the question but soon recovered.

"No…I don't participate in such…contests," she said, "I'm going there strictly on business…like Mr. Winston here."

Clay had been asleep since they left Silver Crest. The bumpiness of the ride didn't rouse him. He must have been very tired, Amelia thought or very used to traveling on stages. The women seemed satisfied by her response…that she wouldn't serve as any competition for them to be Ethan's wife.

"If you were prettier maybe you'd be able to put your name in too."

Amelia arched her brows.

"Excuse me? I've already been married once and maybe it's not in the cards for me to do that again…whoever winds up marrying Ethan will have their hands full."

Stella looked at her sharply.

"You mean with the children right?"

Amelia shook her head.

"The children are lovely…well behaved from what I've seen," she said, "Ethan on the other hand can be quite a challenge."

Edwina smiled.

"I like challenges…"

Stella nodded avidly.

"So do I…I can handle a man who challenges me."

Amelia didn't see much in the other woman to convince her of the truth to that but maybe she'd be surprised.

"Good…"

She couldn't pay attention to any of what happened because she had her own work to do. As soon as she got to Paradise she'd send the wire back to Virginia City to go ahead with the plan.

* * *

Ethan left his office buoyed by the news that the stage was back on the road on the way to Paradise. Two women, Edwina and Stella would be riding on it…both of them candidates who had answered his ad needing a wife. He knew them both to be pretty because he'd seen the photos of them when they'd responded to the ad and they were both very nice looking.

Not the most important quality he looked for in his wife but one that he appreciated. He needed a wife first to keep the children but since he'd have to adapt to life as a husband it'd be an appreciated bonus if he married a woman who attracted him. Someone he could spend time with, in a restaurant or just talking to as well as other more amorous pursuits. If he didn't fall in love with her…they could still build a life together and enjoy the benefits of marriage.

They'd be eating dinner with him in the restaurant tonight before spending the night in their hotel rooms. He'd been thinking up his list of questions he'd be asking them in separate meetings that'd begin the following day. First over a meal at the restaurant and then later on, they'd spend some time with the children, first with him there and then when he felt more comfortable with it, they'd interact with them alone.

Dakota walked up to him.

"You ready for this," he said, "Ready to pick out the woman who'll share a house with you the rest of your lives?"

Ethan sighed imagining that because it wouldn't be quite the way he'd envisioned it but it was what he had to do.

"Ready as I'll ever be," he said, "Suppose it's about time for me to settle down."

Dakota chuckled.

"You…I'll have to see that," he said, "but if that codicil hadn't come out and bitten you…you'd still be a bachelor."

Ethan didn't need to be reminded of that. But he had to deal with what life had given him and for him that meant putting those days behind him. Not that his heart had been into carousing for quite some time…falling in love with a woman had done that to him. Even when she'd been gone…he couldn't explain it but he couldn't think of anyone else…but her.

But he couldn't think about what could have been, he had to think about what happened next and that was keeping his family together.

He knew his life and theirs would change as soon as the stagecoach arrived in Paradise and unloaded its passengers.

* * *

Amelia saw the end of the road where they'd find the covered bridge that would take them into the main street of Paradise. She braced herself to what she would see…the hotel with its saloon…the bank she used to own and her old house that waited empty for her return.

Then the people including the man she had almost married.


	4. Chapter 4

Ethan had been waiting for the stagecoach when Charlie ran up to get him. He looked all excited and Ethan wondered what had happened now. It'd been so damn quiet the past few weeks…he'd not had much to do but he knew it'd never last.

"What's up Charlie?"

His deputy sighed.

"Hate to bother you since I know you're waiting for your new bride and all," he said, "but we got trouble at Clancy's ranch…he's been building a new barn and a beam fell on him."

Ethan knew that Clancy had been eager to get himself a new barn after his current one had been damaged in a fire. He knew that Clancy hadn't wanted much help, wanted to do most of the work himself. Now he'd gotten himself into trouble…maybe badly hurt and since Paradise only had as a doctor a man who worked as a barber…that meant Clancy was in a world of trouble.

"How bad is he?"

Charlie didn't look sure.

"I don't know…a busted leg for sure," he said, "Maybe worse…but he was cursing something awful so he's conscious when I left."

Ethan thought quickly and knew he'd better get out there with Xavier the new barber and see how bad it looked.

"I hope he's got plenty of whisky in his house."

Charlie looked at him, his brows furrowing.

"He's pretty pious church going man," he said, "I'll get some from Scotty before we head on out."

Ethan nodded and then went to get on his horse. He knew Claire would look after the boys and they were all still at Mr. Lee's store. But who would meet the women when they arrived off the stage? He'd have to ask Mary to help them get settled at the hotel…meet them later in the restaurant for dinner. Hopefully they'd be ready to eat by then after their long trip.

Hopefully he'd be over and done dealing with Clancy and his busted leg so he could clean up and change before meeting them for the first time. He felt a bit nervous about it and didn't know why, wasn't any big deal. He was just getting married for reasons having nothing to do with love and emotions and all that stuff that made him uncomfortable anyway. He allowed few people to see that part of him.

No, as long as he remembered he was doing this for practical reasons he would be just fine.

* * *

Amelia looked around her after climbing off the stage. The town didn't look much different than when she'd left in a stage. A bit quieter, with some of the businesses shuttered either for the day or perhaps for good…at least until the next period of prosperity.

Not too many people on the street either. She waited for the driver to drop her bag in front of her while she looked around, taking in the scenery around her. Her house remained where she'd left it, looking empty with most of her garden having died off from neglect.

She saw Stella and Edwina standing nearby, looking around them as if not believing what they saw. She knew that neither had believed Paradise to be a small, duty town in the middle of some valley surrounded by mountains that were riddled with abandoned mineshafts filled with broken dreams…and more than a few skeletons.

Ethan wasn't anywhere to be seen. Probably out acting as marshal and too busy to greet the candidates looking to become his wife…she guessed. Stella and Edwina just looked around them.

"Paradise is…."

Edwina finished for her.

"Small?"

Stella frowned.

"Close enough…I really thought there'd be at least one good theater, a couple of restaurants and some top clothing stores…with a name like that."

Edwina sighed.

"I'm guessing another dying mining town like the one I just left," she said, "But where's this Ethan Cord? Which one is him? I thought he was better looking."

Amelia followed their line of sight and saw Amos and Axelrod standing outside their businesses and Tiny shoeing a horse across the street, all of them busy in their work or talking to each other.

"I thought he was younger," Stella said, "Maybe he's late…or on his way here. You don't think he's forgotten…"

Amelia smiled at the two puzzled women.

"Hardly…he's the town marshal…that makes him a very busy man and you'd better get used to it."

They both looked at her and Stella put her hand on her hip.

"Oh and how would you know?"

Both women awaited her answer.

"Because I lived here and knew him," Amelia said, "He spends a lot of time chasing outlaws and hunting fugitives…if you marry him you'd better be capable of taking care of yourself…and the children."

She wondered where they were because she didn't see them either and she'd missed them more than she'd admit to herself at first. She wondered how they felt about her…maybe they thought she'd run out on them.

Not that she hadn't had plenty of time to think about that…but she'd been scared…of what might happen if Ethan died and left her alone…

"I really wish he'd be here," Stella said, "We came all this way…and one of us is going to marry him."

Edwina nodded.

"Where's the hotel? I'd like to get cleaned up at least."

Amelia sighed.

"It's over there, the tallest building," she said, "Ask for Scotty or Mary and tell them you're here to see Ethan Cord and they'll help you."

The two women looked uncertain and Amelia just left them to go to her house. She felt tired and wanted to get it ready so she could stay for a few days. As she left, she saw Matilda walk on over and she didn't want to have to talk with her…or she'd never make it into her house with all the questions her former bank teller would ask her.

But as she glanced over at her again before walking up the steps she saw the older woman looking at her as if she didn't believe what she saw.

* * *

Ethan got to the ranch and quickly saw that the damage wasn't as bad as he thought. Clancy's leg had been pinned beneath a beam but it hadn't been broken. It'd pain him for quite a while and he'd need help to run his ranch until it healed up but no doctor was needed.

Tucker looked relieved it wasn't anything that needed more than a look at and a tight wrap around it for support. They'd gotten him settled on his porch and then headed back into town. When he slid off his horse, he saw Matilda waiting for him. She didn't look pleased; in fact she had her arms folded.

"What's the matter?"

She sighed deeply.

"You had two young ladies here waiting for you…just off the stage and you just left them standing there."

"I had to go help Clancy…beam from his new barn fell on his leg…"

She didn't look mollified.

"I had to tend to them or they would have been wandering the streets lost until you returned."

He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Where are they now?"

"Settled in the hotel no thanks to you," Matilda said, "and Mary's looking after them…"

Ethan nodded.

"Good…I'll be seeing them later tonight at the restaurant."

Matilda just looked at him a long moment.

"It's none of my business Mr. Cord but some might believe it a bit…unseemly what you're planning to do…"

Ethan didn't care much what people thought, he was doing what he had to do to keep the children living with him.

"Then don't ask about it," he said, "I'm planning on marrying one of them."

He knew she'd heard the gossip already but she still widened her eyes in surprise.

"Really…but they just got here," Matilda said, "and you haven't even met them yet."

He didn't want to get into it with her or anyone else right now. He wanted to get home and freshen up before his dinner tonight and that meant rounding up the children and getting them to go with him.

"I'll be meeting them tonight…now if you'll just excuse me…"

He started to go and then she called his name. He turned his head to look at her and saw the puzzlement on her face.

"You know this is odd but there was this woman and for a second I thought…"

He waited expectantly but she must have thought better of finishing her thought. He really had to get going.

"Never mind Mr. Cord," Matilda sighed, "Good luck with your…dinner tonight."

He watched her walk away. She had been instrumental in spreading the news all over Paradise that he'd been looking for a wife. He didn't feel like giving her more fodder. As he headed back to go fetch the children he walked past Amelia's house and felt the tug towards it that he always did when he passed it. It reminded him of so much including her…even though she hadn't been in town in six months now.

But he still missed her so damn much even though he didn't share that with anyone…except John Taylor that one time on the porch but the Indian had just smiled at him saying that she'd be back. John Taylor had nearly always been right in his predictions which had given him hope…but so far she hadn't shown up.

No, he couldn't think about her right now…couldn't remember what it'd done to him to just look at her, to hold her in his arms and to kiss her. To share more of himself with her than he ever had with anyone…the only woman he'd ever loved like that and wanted to marry. It just hadn't worked out for them, they were too different and now they were far apart.

He had to concentrate on preserving his family so he couldn't afford these thoughts. No, not if he wanted to move forward with his life and his plan for it. But as he passed her house, he couldn't help himself from looking in the window noticing that one of the curtains had been pushed aside.

That caused him to pause for a moment, for his heart to skip in his chest before he continued walking down the street to fetch the children.


	5. Chapter 5

Ethan had headed back to the ranch after fetching the children who were at Mr. Lee's store. All except Joseph who was putting in some hours in the afternoon and evening working in Axelrod's mercantile. He had felt it was his time as one of the men of the family to be contributing to the costs of living with his uncle. Ethan smiled as he drove the horses down the familiar road thinking of how they'd all stepped to the plate to pitch in more after the hearing with the judge. Even George had started doing more chores including taking care of the hens in the coop and selling their eggs every day along with spare milk from their new cow, Henrietta.

He had enough time to get them home, get dinner started for them with Claire's help and then clean up and change to go to dinner at the hotel. Two young women waited there for him, both who answered his advertisement for a wife. He would just enjoy a pleasant evening with them, over some good food including Scotty's chocolate cake and get to know them a little bit better. He had no idea still what questions he'd ask in the more formal interviews…mostly questions about whether or not they liked children and would raise those not related to them. Of course if the marriage went well enough, there might be more children later on…so it would help if they were interested in having their own children.

Then there were questions about interests, value systems and some more…personal type questions covering some private areas…if this was going to be a marriage in every sense of the word. He wouldn't start with the tough ones, he'd start easy enough

The house appeared over the last hill and he slowed down enough so that Ben and George could hop off and go running to the barn to check on Millie their pregnant dog who would be bearing pups soon. He watched them zoom off and then looked at Claire.

"I'll get them to do more chores so you won't have to do too much."

She smiled.

"I hope your dinner goes well…are you sure this is what you want to do Uncle Ethan?"

He didn't know how to answer that because he didn't want her and the other children to worry about him and his decision to get married.

"Yes I am Claire…it's not for you to worry about," he said, "It's just something I got to do."

She looked troubled and that was the last thing he wanted because he'd made this decision so that they wouldn't be taken away from him.

"Would they really take us away and put us in an orphanage or an orphan train?"

Her voice tinged with worry and he smiled at her reassuringly. Claire being the only girl in the family had tried to take on her mother's role but she still had some growing up to do herself. The younger boys might need a mother because of their age but Claire might need one even more so…being the only female in the household. Ethan remembered how Amelia had taken the girl under her wing back even before they'd been engaged. Claire had taken her departure the hardest because she had been slow to accept Amelia or any stranger's help with any problem…or crisis. He had to stop thinking about her, what it had been like when she'd walked away from him…not long after he'd woken up after being shot. The first thing he'd seen was her beautiful face looking at her, eyes filled with weariness and worry. He should have guessed then that his latest cheating of death had driven her over the edge of what she could live with…staring her future without him in the face and feeling that if he died, she would as well.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you or the boys," Ethan said, "Whatever it takes…I'll do that so we can stay together."

That reassured her somewhat but he knew that she didn't much like his plan but what else could he do? It'd be much easier if Amelia and he had made it to the altar…but his ex-fiancée was nowhere close and hadn't shown any signs of returning. Maybe she'd found another fellow to fall in love with and marry…the very idea of that caused him to tense up and feel her loss all the more.

He pulled the wagon up near the barn and Claire got out of it to head into the house to start dinner. He watched her go knowing that having a wife would ease the workload she'd taken on herself to keep the household and ranch going especially when he left them for days at a time on work.

She shook her head.

"I just don't think you should pick someone who makes you happy."

He sighed.

"What's important is that we stay together as a family and that nothing breaks us up ever…and I'll take care of that part of it."

He watched as she left him to head into the house while he went to the barn to help with some chores before getting ready to head to the restaurant.

* * *

Amelia had removed all the sheets covering the furniture and even though she wouldn't be staying too long, she wanted to be comfortable in her house. It'd come with the bank but she'd wound up holding onto it even after leaving town. She guessed at least for a while she'd wanted to keep her options open in case she decided to return…besides she could always decide to sell it.

She'd have to get some food so maybe she'd head to the general store. There was the restaurant but she knew he'd be there and she didn't want to face him yet. God she didn't know what to say to him because she thought she'd said everything already. She'd broken his heart a little bit at least, she knew that much.

But her own had been breaking more slowly…because she'd loved him so damn much…too damn much she'd been so worried about losing herself in that and she'd promised herself after the debacle with Pierce that she'd never let that happen again.

She smiled as she removed the covering over the piano…the one she'd loved to play whatever the mood. When she felt happy…or grief stricken when she thought Ethan dead…which had happened more than once…each time cutting her to the quick until each breath became more painful than the last.

Not the way she wanted to live. She'd tried to make him understand that and she guessed by his decision to get married that he finally did. Even if it did turn out that her ex-husband had played a role…it had to be for the best. Besides, she had to go send a wire as she promised and wait to see when it'd be time to make her next move.

But Ethan being the town marshal…it might get tricky if he found out she was here and got himself involved. Hopefully he'd be too busy worrying about picking himself a wife. If he did that, she wished the best for him…but she didn't know how much she meant it.

She had to put that behind her because if they'd been meant for each other, they'd be married. Obviously life had other plans for the both of them.

After finishing with the furniture, she knew it was time for her to send the wire. Miranda would be waiting to hear from her to find out what to do next…she didn't get time away from her ever vigilant husband Buck that much.

So she got her wrap and she slipped out of the house to go to the wire office.

Ethan washed up and put on one of his only nice suits. He didn't dress up fancy much preferring his working clothes. He had shaved to neaten up his beard feeling like it was a date…only it wasn't a date at all. It was a chance to meet two women, one of whom would be his future wife.

Claire walked up to him.

"You look nice…I'm sure they'll be quite happy."

Ethan shrugged.

"They wouldn't be here unless they wanted to be...we'll both be getting something out of it."

Claire shook her head at him and then left him. Ethan looked at his reflection and though he didn't' give it much thought these days; he thought he looked just fine. He could handle outlaws, fugitives and shootouts where he'd ducked gunfire and returned it with everything he had…so he could handle a dinner out with two women. He felt a little nervous about it but knew that'd pass when he got to the restaurant and could better assess the situation.

But he kept remembering all the dinners he'd had there with Amelia including those where he'd planned to propose marriage to her…before someone from his past friend or foe naturally interrupted it. Each time that had happened had worn at Amelia's patience a bit more…because again he'd put his friends, his job or his reputation as one of the fastest, surest guns in the West ahead of her and their relationship. He'd taken so much for granted with her, like she'd always be there with him picking up the pieces after each crisis. But she'd reached the day when she'd finally had enough and left.

He left the mirror and went to go see how Claire handled getting two boys cleaned up and at the table for dinner which turned out to be beef and vegetable stew. Not that he had any doubt in her ability to handle anything in the household…the one she'd inherited by default. Well, getting married and himself a wife, and the children a mother would allow Claire to focus on other things besides running the household.

She'd been doing that long enough and he knew that his plan would give her some relief. Though she didn't seem thrilled about it, it would help make her life…all of their lives easier.

* * *

Amelia had sent the wire. Betty had worked the office and Amelia hadn't ever met her…though it turned out she was a cousin of Charlie's who had moved to Paradise after her husband passed. She seemed nice enough and followed the instructions that Amelia gave her to wire Virginia City.

"You are expecting a response back soon?"

Amelia considered that and nodded.

"Within a day or so…possibly sooner," she said, "It's urgent and they're expecting it."

She knew that there wasn't much time left for them to act. She knew that Buck would grow suspicious of why his wife spent more time in town…and not the house where she'd be under close watch by the servants. By the time he got wind of it, it'd be too late. Once their plan was set in motion, it'd be too late for him to do anything. Even though he was one of the most powerful men in Virginia City, it wouldn't be enough.

They'd make sure of that.

Afterward she stopped by the newer general store, it had just opened before she left and picked up some food for the next several days. She still had some basic staples in her pantry that would be good once she prepared them into meals.

She knew she had to lie low until she received the wire in response. That especially meant not running into Ethan though it didn't seem right to hear to avoid him. It felt damn near impossible inside her heart, the part of it that would forever be lost to him.

But she had to do her best, so much depended on it.


	6. Chapter 6

Ethan walked into the restaurant not sure what to expect. He was there to have dinner with two women who had traveled a long way to see him. He saw them already sitting at a table and both of them looked quite pretty.

Edwina and Stella, both dressed up in nice dresses and hoping to make a good impression. He could understand that because he'd been there…when he'd gone to court to appear before the judge. He thought if he wore his Sunday best, the judge might be impressed but still, the man gave him that ultimatum. If it hadn't been for that damn codicil…but he knew his sister had her reasons and they had to do growing up without parents. Only a younger brother to take care of and no one to look after her…maybe that had worn her out before her time. She had died of consumption quite young after all.

Both women gazed up at the same time to watch him walk to the table. He tipped his hat and then after removing is coat, he sat down at the table. Mary had brought out some tea and bread fresh from the oven. He knew the menu by heart and night it'd be beef and potatoes.

"So you're Ethan Cord…"

Edwina had said that more as a statement than a question but he nodded.

"Please to meet you both," he said, "I know you traveled a long way by coach to Paradise."

Stella sighed.

"Train too…I felt like trip took forever."

Ethan smiled, remembering how the children had traveled by train all the way from St. Louis to come stay with him before getting on the stage. Of course he hadn't been there to meet it. He'd been shot up some by and John Taylor had just saved his life leaving him to recover in a hotel room. Amelia had been the one who had made sure the children were settled and he owed her a lot for that. At the time, she'd been somewhat cross with him…taking little pity on his plight and scolding him for being so damn irresponsible with them. He'd scowled at her back when he'd been well enough to do so and accused her of making everything about business.

She had a response for that like anything else he had said. Quick and tart, but hitting its target each time…she knew him even back then well enough to put him in his place real quick. But he couldn't think about her right now, he had to focus on the women in front of him. '

They ordered the special and then they sat and waited…a bit awkwardly at first because Ethan really didn't know where to start. Stella sipped some of her tea and gazed at him thoughtfully.

"You don't mind if I say something…but you're sure a sight for sore eyes," she said, "That picture didn't do you justice Mr. Cord…"

"Call me Ethan…."

She smiled at him, picking up some bread to nibble on it. Edwina dabbed her mouth with her napkin after sipping her tea. Stella tilted her face, a bit flirtatiously.

"I mean it…you must do a lot of hard work to get muscles like that," she said, "Just perfect…I love it when I have a man's strong arms around me holding me close."

Ethan felt his throat dry and he reached for his tea.

"Oh did I embarrass you…I'm sorry but I believe in being honest about what's important."

Edwina smiled at Ethan.

"I think you look real smart in that suit," she said, "and you have a nice smile."

He gazed over at her and he smiled back.

"Thank you…I'm real happy to see you…I thought I'd keep it easy tonight…just eat supper and do some talking…that okay with the both of you?"

Stella licked her lips pretending to think about it.

"It'll do for a start," she said, "I always believe in a man who can hold his own in conversation."

Edwina nodded.

"I can't believe how beautiful the mountains are," she said, "I just had no idea…I mean I though there'd be some wilderness but not so much."

Stella sighed.

"I thought there'd be a theater or two and more than one restaurant…but this town does hold certain…rustic appeal."

Ethan nodded.

"It does grow on you when you've been here a while," he said, "I didn't feel like home here until the children arrived and then there was…"

But he didn't finish, not wanting to bring her into the conversation with his future wife. But Edwina waited for him to finish.

"There was what?"

"Nothing…I was just engaged once," he said, "but it didn't work out."

Stella's eyes narrowed slightly.

"She still around town…?"

He shook his head.

"No she left six months ago…hasn't returned…"

Stella smiled, looking relieved.

"Then she's moved on with her life…maybe gotten herself married to someone else," she said, "It's all for the best…if you'd done married her, you might have missed something better coming along."

He just stared at her not thinking there'd been anything better than being engaged to Amelia…at least before they hit turbulent waters and broke their engagement. Edwina studied him closely.

"So you're…over this woman," she said, "She won't be interfering in the process…without being here…I mean the memory of her…"

She stopped talking and just sipped her tea. Ethan cleared his throat.

"No…it's in the past…I've been ready to move forward for a while now…that's why I put the ad in the newspaper. As you'll find out soon, there are not many unmarried women here."

Stella smiled.

"That won't e a problem," she said, "Will there be a long engagement or will it be whirlwind?"

Ethan just stared at her….not having thought it through that far.

"I don't know yet," he said, "I do know I want to get married…soon."

He had to think about doing it quickly in case the judge took action against him and his custody of the children. But Stella and Edwina didn't need to know that right now.

Stella looked at him directly.

"Do you expect to wait until after the wedding to exercise your…rights…"

"My what…?"

She just looked at him.

"You know what I mean…"

Suddenly he did and he didn't know how to answer that question.

* * *

Amelia enjoyed her meal and settled in the living room by the fire to relax after the long journey. She'd be busy soon enough once the wire came back telling her when to move forward with the plan. It made her on edge thinking about what she had to do…but she'd promised and she wanted to help Miranda get away from Buck before it was too late.

She knew it'd be risky because he was a powerful men who ruled those around him and treated his wife like another possession. Amelia hadn't stayed married to her husband but parts of her time spent with him had been good…other parts not so much but nothing compared to what Miranda had faced. She knew that she had to help her get out of there.

Coming back to Paradise…it hadn't been her first choice of places to go but she needed a small town tucked away off the worn path…away from Virginia City. She had a house here and she had everything else they needed…it was better to carry out the plan in familiar territory. So this town fit the bill…the only entanglement was Ethan of course…because he'd find out that she'd come back soon enough and she didn't want to have to deal with him right now and her feelings for him. She wasn't afraid of his lifestyle anymore but she knew she'd hurt him badly. More than likely he wouldn't want her back…not if he was finding himself a wife at the moment.

It did feel good to be back in her house and settled comfortably with some wine and the room softly lit. She got up and moved over to the piano to play some music before heading up to bed. She'd done that ever since she'd first learned how to play.

She sat on the bench and her fingers nimbly flew over the keys as she played one of her favorite musical pieces remembering when she'd played for Ethan when he'd been over at her house. The music seemed to relax him after really tense days and of course it made him even more amorous.

It was too hard not to remember him and what it'd been like…but she couldn't let anything get in the way with what she had to do. Right now she just wanted to forget as she played the piano closing her eyes because she knew the notes by heart.

* * *

Outside on the street, Ethan headed home after dinner with the two women and alone in his thoughts. He'd said goodnight to them and that he'd see both of them in the morning.

Passing Amelia's house always made him think about her and his heart ache just a bit…because he'd wished the day would come when she'd be back home again…sitting in the porch swing…tending her flowers or…playing her piano.

He frowned because just then he thought he heard a familiar melody coming from somewhere…but it must be the saloon. He gazed over at her house with the shades drawn and then he thought, he must have imagined it…or it was the wind that had just kicked up.

Shaking his head, he continued to where he tied up his horse to head on back to the ranch.

't about to lose the children due to any cold feet on his part.


	7. Chapter 7

Ethan tossed and turned a bit before falling asleep already uncertain of which of the two women he'd pick to marry. Okay, so it'd just been a bit of socializing over some good food and he'd enjoyed himself but he couldn't pick up any signs of which woman would be best for him.

He liked them both, they were pretty enough, with good social graces and yet Edwina had been more reserved while Stella had flirted with him quite openly. She seemed to be more interested in some aspects of a marital relationship than in others that were more important in this case. Yes, they would share the marital bed after the wedding but what he needed first and foremost was someone who would satisfy the judge enough as a maternal figure so he'd be able to raise his sister's children. Stella had even been touching him any chance she got…even sliding her palm over his thigh during the conversation on what there was to do in Paradise.

Ethan nearly jumped then and she'd just smiled coquettishly at him. He found her attractive but he thought the move too bold on her part…he wasn't interested in thinking about that part of it right now. Well yes he was, but not with either two of these women. When she'd been coming on to him at the table and while he walked the women to the lobby of the hotel, he'd been remembering his relationship with Amelia. It might have been stormy but not when it came to both of them sharing pleasurable moments. He'd been with quite a few women and Amelia, only with her ex-husband…and when she asked him once if that bothered him, he silenced her with a kiss. No it didn't, being without her bothered him but he learned to live with it.

He had to face the facts. One of these two pretty women was going to be his wife. But he'd make it clear to them that he'd wait until it was official before…he rubbed the back of his neck before getting on his horse.

Then he'd ridden by Amelia's old house and thought he'd heard some of the soft music that often wafted from her piano when she'd been playing it. She did that he noticed when she needed some time alone to think…she didn't feel like sharing everything with him after all and he respected that. After all, he'd revealed his own life in bits and pieces to her and only her. He had wondered while sharing dinner with Edwina and Stella if he'd ever share that with them and didn't know at this point.

The ride back home was uneventful and feeling tired from a long day, he settled into bed in a house where everyone else already slept. But his mind kept him awake because he knew that Stella wanted to have some fun before they got married…or maybe some fun before he picked Edwina…he didn't know what she was thinking at this point. It wasn't going to happen that way of course. He just didn't feel that way about either one of them so far.

One woman had branded him with her kisses and with her hands and he knew he'd been lost since she'd left him but he'd found a way to cope and to move on with his life. Family mattered more than anything and that's what he'd focus on.

Yes that would be what worked best for him, he thought as he started to drift off to sleep.

* * *

Amelia woke up from another intense dream…damn the man for not leaving her. Oh, she left him but he stayed in her dreams. They evoked so much emotion in her that remained when she woke up from them…her fingers still tingling from stroking his skin, sliding her hands over his strong back while he gave her the most intense pleasure…not that people talked about such things. Just the thought might make a woman blush but she wasn't most women.

She got up to go sit for a while on the porch swing after grabbing a wrap as it had been nippy at night. It waited for her and creaked softly as she pushed it back and forth slightly with a foot. She'd spent many hours here sitting by herself…thinking about Ethan…when she hadn't spent hours here talking to him about anything and nothing.

Damn, she'd wanted so much to forget him and move on with her life. It was too dangerous to care for him…to worry so much about whether he'd come back to her or not after going off on one of his dangerous jobs that became missions. She knew that the part of him that had been a gunslinger all of his life had only been tempered a bit by his job as a marshal. She respected him for picking up that mantle when no one else would touch it but she couldn't live with it.

Only she discovered that she could handle that…she'd find a way to do it because he'd been so damn important but…she had a job to do and she had to focus on it…it wasn't safe for her mind to wander. Besides, she'd just sat for two days in a coach with two women who were vying for the position as his wife and the mother of his children.

Did Amelia really need any other clue that Ethan had moved on with his life and away from her? Not that she had anyone to blame but herself, having walked away first. She'd never expected her to pine for her…she wanted him to be happy and to find a woman who would make him happy…just not so quickly.

She didn't know what she'd do if…when she saw him again. She'd have to fight from going to him, wrapping her arms tightly around him and wanting nothing more but to forget about everything else in the world while she remembered him.

The stars filled the skies like a carpet and she saw a sliver of moon. She thought about Miranda looking out a window and seeing the same sky. The woman had been such a good friend to her when she needed one.

But she needed a friend now even more. Amelia knew she'd help her whatever it took…but she'd have to plan carefully. She had to be careful with Ethan…because even though he moved on…he might wonder what she was doing back…the marshal side of him definitely would want to know if she slipped and told him too much.

So she had to be very careful with more than just her own private feelings.

* * *

Ethan got up and after doing some chores headed to the office to put in his time as marshal before meeting the women for lunch. Today would be more serious…he'd need to learn more about the elemental things to help him make his decision. It hadn't helped that he'd woken up and thought of her again…not the two of them. But he'd pushed any thoughts of the past out of his mind to focus on the future.

Edwina or Stella…it'd be one of them and he hoped he'd figure it out soon.

Everything else would just have to fall into the background…or remain in the past.


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry for the long dry spell. Broke my shoulder and had to get a new one. I'll update when I can.

* * *

Edwina folded her arms coolly while Stella paced the suite of the hotel. She'd done her own planning all this time and knew it'd be time to put it into action. Edwina had done the same as they both wanted the same thing. Ethan Cord's ring on the right finger and everything that came with it.

They could be polite to each other even nice but they couldn't be friends. The competition would soon begin but it wasn't a game, not with such high stakes like survival and a better life.

Ethan looked at both of them dressed up in their Sunday best just to impress him but this wasn't about him, it was about the children, about family. Keeping what was left of his together. He'd been engaged once for love and it hadn't worked out. In fact, Amelia could be clear across the country by now.

But not in his dreams where she became close enough to touch. Not that he could think about it now.

"So who do you want to speak with first," Edwina asked.

He just looked at her still not sure how to go about this, shopping for a wife out of necessity. Both women looked at him expectantly.

"How about tossing a coin?"

He'd been serious but Edwina looked taken aback while Stella chuckled.

"Oh Mr. Cord you do have a sense of humor."

He scratched the back of his neck.

"Okay… I'll start with you then…how about supper at the hotel?"

Stella nodded.

"Okay…that'll work."

Ethan wasn't sure about that but he didn't think he had much time to make his decision and arrange the impromptu wedding. Edwina's lips pursed as she looked at him.

"What about me?"

He smiled.

"I'll be in town early tomorrow," he said, "I could meet you at the hotel for breakfast."

She nodded,

"Okay…you won't be sorry Mr. Cord…"

"Call me Ethan…"

Both women looked at each other then at him. They both looked pretty enough, all dressed up but neither stirred anything inside him. Only one woman could do that to him with simply a glance and she was likely so far away right now. No sign of ever returning to Paradise yet she hadn't sold her house.

Stella smiled broadly.

"Ethan…I will most definitely look forward to supper."

He nodded just as Charlie walked up to him. He looked serious.

"What is it?"

His deputy sighed,

"Got a wire from Virginia City…some trouble there…baby's missing…"

Ethan narrowed his eyes.

"What baby?"

Charlie sighed.

"Brand new son of the mayor, Clinton Wyatt…his wife Miranda's missing."

Ethan paused.

"Foul play?"

"Wire didn't say…all the neighboring towns got them to just keep an eye out."

Ethan nodded, thinking fair enough to do that. If Virginia City needed more help than that, it'd send a wire to him asking for it. He turned towards the two prospective brides.

"I'll see you later."

He walked towards his office.

* * *

Amelia got dressed in some old work clothes and worked on fixing up her house which stood vacant for months. She'd have company soon and wanted to be ready for them. She wanted her house to be comfortable and a refuge for them.

They were somewhere safe away from him waiting for her to come get them but she had to bide her time, when the most powerful man in Virginia City wasn't looking. She knew she should get help and who she needed. But she hadn't seen him or talked to him yet. She didn't know what to say or how to say it. Life had grown so complicated since she'd left Ethan. No, she'd have to handle this herself and so she set forward to do just that.


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry updates are so slow! Arm's still healing up.

* * *

Amelia rose before the sun but then she was used to that. She got something to eat after lighting her lamp and then got ready to go out and saddle up her horse. The wire hadn't arrived yet, the one that would tell her what to do next and she was getting a bit anxious.

She'd been thinking about Ethan when she woke up which didn't help matters any. She still dreamed about him at night. But she chalked that to being in the same town with him again. Their paths hadn't crossed yet and that hadn't been deliberate on her part. Not really…she'd been busy enough worrying about how to help Miranda without causing a war. Breakfast went quickly and she grabbed her things and went out to saddle her horse.

Her contact would be waiting for her just out near the old barn that had burned down on an abandoned ranch. She patted her horse on the neck while saddling her up. No, her failure to meet up with Ethan hadn't been deliberate at all. They'd bump into each other soon enough, it was a small town after all and they'd catch up on what they'd both been doing the past few months. She couldn't tell him everything of course. No, but the highlights that wouldn't get her into any trouble…or anyone else…She also remembered the two young women on the coach who were coming to Paradise to vie for him to be their husband.

That must be a hell of a story or turn of events but well, though it'd thrown her a bit all she could do was wish the best for him. After all, they'd been in love once, madly some might say and even engaged. It just hadn't worked out, that's all. They were two very different people who just couldn't make it work.

Hopefully he'd make it work with one of the two women…she wished that sincerely for him…well mostly.

The air was brisk as she stepped out of the shelter for her horse and got aboard. She shortened the reins, chirped to the horse and they were off.

* * *

Ethan rode into town thinking about whether or not he might get dragged into what was going on in Virginia City with Clinton Wyatt. A very powerful man and player in that bustling town and rumored to not tolerate fools. Ethan couldn't blame him for that but this situation with his wife and child…it could get messy fast.

And not just if foul play was a factor…in fact it could get ugly if it were something between him and his wife Miranda instead. Most wives obeyed their husbands but not all of them. Still Miranda had no recourse, no legal power over her husband…it'd be a foolish fight indeed if she tried to exercise any.

No, he didn't want to get pulled into that. Things had been quiet in Paradise and he was itching for some action but not a dustup between a married couple over a child. He stopped by the office and saw that Charlie had arrived and was sitting at the desk sipping some coffee. The deputy looked up at him.

"What's up?"

Charlie shrugged.

"Not much…Dakota told me about your woman troubles. I thought you'd be dealing with that."

Ethan grimaced, as he went to pour himself some coffee.

"Meeting with one of the nice ladies for breakfast…any word on Virginia City?"

Charlie shook his head.

"Not yet…Clinton will tell us soon enough if he needs any help from us…I'm suspecting not…his wife's never pulled anything foolish or nothing…so it might be foul play."

"Hope not…not much outlawing around here but Virginia City's never been spared it."

Charlie paused.

"I saw Edwina…when I went for the coffee from Mary," he said, "pretty looking thing…some men have all the luck."

Ethan didn't see it that way. He wasn't seeking a wife out of choice after all but because he wanted…needed to keep his family together. Lucy had looked after him while they were left without anyone else…the least he could do was keep her children safe from being taken away. No, he knew what he had to do. This wasn't about loving a woman, this was about duty.

"Seems nice enough…"

Charlie snorted.

"Don't sound so thrilled Ethan…it's about time you settled down…children need a mother."

Ethan bristled at that.

"I know what they need…"

Charlie didn't mind the edge in his voice.

"Good…so do what you need to do with these ladies…you lucky devil and pick one as your bride…so we can all have a nice wedding."

Ethan clenched his jaw.

"Might not be a…big wedding."

Charlie shrugged.

"No matter if you throw a big win-dig afterward. People will never forgive you if you won't."

Ethan had a few choice words for that but he kept them to himself heading on out to the restaurant. He walked back out onto the main street and looked up suddenly to see a horse fly by with someone aboard. His eyes narrowed seeing something familiar…his heart tugged but in a flash the horse and rider went by leaving a trail of dust as the sun started to rise ahead.

He sighed and walked towards the hotel knowing he had a job to do.

* * *

Amelia rode quickly out of town to her destination, not knowing what she'd find. A note…or a person to help her in what she had to do...despite the risks. After all, Miranda had helped her when she needed it. Amelia didn't leave those she cared about hanging...it's just that the one person she had cared most about...it'd almost done her in so running away seemed the only option. But she'd realized soon enough you couldn't run away from yourself. Paradise had been the logical choice for what she had to do for obvious reasons and one not so much...because it was time to go home.

But what she did find, she hadn't expected at all.


	10. Chapter 10

Amelia rode until she found the abandoned barn. She dismounted and tied her horse up loosely by a tree before heading to the barn. She knew the area well as she'd ridden out here with Ethan back when they'd been courting and gone past it to do some fishing out on the lake.

Now, the lake lay off in the distance likely deserted and her focus was on the dilapidated structure. She walked inside its door which tilted at an angle and heard some fluttering of birds up in the rafters. There were several stalls all empty and bales of straw with sections strewn loosely around the floor. But that's not what caught her attention.

She saw a man standing there.

"David…what are you doing here?"

He looked at her troubled, not saying anything.

"Where's Miranda?"

He sighed.

"Didn't you get the wire?"

She hadn't gotten anything today but then her mind had been focused on riding out to the barn before it got too late.

"Nothing today…I was hoping she would be here."

David glanced around the barn nervously.

"Clinton's looking for her…she's disappeared he says…and he's blaming it on outlaws."

Amelia tilted her head looking at him. She figured Clinton might do as much…but then he could never admit to anyone including the powerbrokers of Virginia City that he couldn't keep his own wife at home. In a way she knew what it'd be like…having spent months hearing snickers and whispers behind her back about her inability to keep her husband from running out on her. It must be harder for a man but he didn't deserve any sympathy because unlike her, Clinton was a bully and a brute. Most people in Virginia City in his circle didn't know him like his wife did. Amelia had sampled that side of him as well…that's how she met Miranda.

"She'll never let him find her."

"He won't stop looking and he'll go after anyone who's in his way…including a woman."

Amelia didn't worry too much about that. All she knew was that she had to help Miranda and the baby. It'd be harder without being able to find her. But if Miranda wasn't here it was because she worried about being found by Clinton…better for her to lie low somewhere until she'd lost him.

"So do you know where she is?"

David shook his head.

"No…I think she never left Virginia City and if she didn't make it out…he'll find her soon enough."

Amelia closed her eyes but her mind kept working…maybe they needed a new plan.

"Damn…we can't let that happen…maybe we'll have to go there and get her."

David didn't look too thrilled at that prospect and shook his head in response.

"I don't think that's wise," he said, "Clinton's a very powerful man and dangerous when he thinks he's been crossed."

Amelia knew that too. But she couldn't leave Miranda to be found by him…she had to do something.

"We don't have a choice…"

He countered quickly.

"We can't do it alone…we'll need help."

Amelia figured that too and her mind zeroed in on one man she knew would be the best source of help they could ever get but…no she hadn't even crossed paths with him yet…hadn't had her words with him so how could she ask for his help?

"Amelia…it's too dangerous any other way."

She nodded.

"I know that…and I know someone," she said, "I just have to figure out a way to ask him."

David narrowed his eyes.

"Is he someone who'd give you trouble?"

She shook her head. No, she knew Ethan wouldn't…at least not that kind of trouble…What the man could do to her heart was a different matter…but she'd never let him get that close. If she went to him for help, it'd be business…and only as a last resort.

"I just don't want to go to him…unless we have to…unless there's no other recourse."

David looked around the barn again as if expecting someone to jump out at him. But Amelia knew Clinton made a lot of men nervous.

"We need help Amelia…if we're going to get Miranda and the baby out of Virginia City."

She bit her lip realizing he was right but damn if she wanted to go pleading her case to Ethan…for all she knew he might slam the door in her face. After all, she'd left him all those months ago…she didn't add that she'd run from him because that was still tough to admit.

"I'll think some more about it," she said, "We might think of something else and not need him."

David looked doubtful.

"You do what needs to be done Amelia," he said, "and don't take too long with it."

She heard the sense of urgency in his voice…along with the love that he had for the woman who'd been his childhood sweetheart until she'd been swept off her feet by the wealthier silver tongued man she'd married. Amelia knew what had possessed Miranda to do that…after all that's how she'd wound up with Pierce when she'd been even younger.

She just nodded and they both left the barn and she headed back to her horse to ride to Paradise while thinking of all the ways she could avoid asking her ex-fiancé for help by using the one talent he had that had driven them apart.

* * *

Ethan looked at Amelia as she pecked away at the stew that Scotty had made for their lunch. She had dressed up nicely enough, was definitely a pretty girl…not that it mattered much. But it didn't hurt either…if he had to get married to keep the children…he'd rather marry a pretty woman. After all, he might be thinking of fatherhood first but he was a man too.

Still he didn't think about love and romance and all that. He'd only allowed that once in his life and it had gotten him a broken heart. He'd only admit it to himself and no one else that he had a heart to get broken by a woman…the fact that John Taylor had picked up on it didn't count.

"I'm a great cook," Edwina said, "I can do desserts including the most lovely custard pie you'll ever eat."

He fancied good cooking and it'd be nice to have someone else it besides Claire who had taken that chore upon herself like the others involved with running the household.

"That's…important," he said, "The children need to eat three good meals a day. Got two young boys growing up big and they have big appetites."

She smiled at that and then wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin.

"I…see…well I can handle that and other chores," she said, "I also can do stitching to mend clothing…I even made curtains once…"

He just nodded. She volunteered so much information he didn't have to rely on the questionnaire he had tucked inside his memory.

"I can sing too," she said, "I was in the choir at church back home."

He listened to her but his mind wandered as he ate his stew. Edwina seemed nice enough and he was sure that she'd make it a tough choice between her and Stella but he couldn't stop thinking…he'd been standing waiting to get married to Amelia a time or two. Then some crisis would steal him away from even getting close to the "I do" part of it. Amelia had just given up on it all together and he couldn't blame her…but she'd looked so damn pretty in her dress. The way the ivory lace molded to her body…he'd never forget that.

Still no point thinking about it…Amelia was off traveling the world somewhere probably having a great time…maybe even hitched up with another man at this point. After all he hadn't heard from her in months and despite what John Taylor had told him, he didn't think she'd come back.

"Excuse me…didn't you hear what I said?"

He blinked his eyes and looked at Edwina. He hadn't heard her say anything.

"What…I'm sorry…something came to mind…"

She pursed her lips.

"I see…did I say something that bored you?"

He recovered quickly…not wanting to alienate half of the candidates to be the wife he needed to keep the children with him.

"No…just thinking about whether or not I need more deputies…"

She seemed to accept that and he told himself he'd pay more attention to her which meant pushing that other woman, the spirited brunette with the accent who always kept him on his toes. He couldn't afford to think about her…as if she were still real to him.

After all she hadn't wanted to marry him in the end and he needed a wife. He figured in a day or so he'd make his choice, pick the woman to marry and get the deed done. It sounded like a plan at least as far as his mind concerned itself…as for his heart…that didn't matter.

If he lost the children, he'd lose everything not to mention a promise he'd made to himself in his sister's memory to keep their family together no matter what. If that meant forgetting what it meant to fall so in love with a woman who still held onto a piece of him, then that's what he'd have to do.


	11. Chapter 11

Stella brushed her hair while Edwina watched. She had gone back to the hotel room they shared after her breakfast with Ethan. He'd left her to go back to the marshal's office after walking her to the stairwell up to the rooms. She'd nearly swooned despite herself. After all, he was a handsome man, underneath the ruggedness of his lifestyle as a marshal and rancher. He'd admitted during the interview that he favored the former rather than the latter but that the children even the youngest had taken to tending the spread with gusto which made up for the fact he wasn't there that often.

"Oh that's fine…I grew up on a ranch until my father died and my mother moved us all to the city."

That sounded good and it was mostly true. But now she didn't know how well she'd done in her meeting with him disguised as a meal. She began to second guess herself and Stella didn't help matters. She knew the other woman was there to win this competition and herself a husband. Maybe she just wanted it as much and was better equipped…maybe she just needed it more. After all, Edwina didn't know much about the woman she'd met up in her travels and had felt sizing her up even before they both knew they were after the same thing.

"Did you eat everything on your plate?"

Edwina nodded.

"Nearly…it's not good to waste food."

Stella sighed.

"If you're a proper lady you always leave the plate half filled," she said, "Men like their women slender with some meat but not too well padded."

Edwina looked at herself and didn't think she looked that way. In fact, Stella looked thicker if more curvy than she did.

"I don't think he's looking for a lady…he's looking for a mother to his children and a wife second."

Stella paused.

"Perhaps but a man like that might think he knows what he wants out of sheer desperation but he does want someone who will flatter him in social settings."

Edwina tried to imagine her and Ethan in such circumstances and somehow she didn't see it. He probably at most had one nice suit in his wardrobe, one he hardly wore. He seemed as married to the clothes he wore as a marshal as he might be to any woman.

"I don't know about that Stella," she said, "but I think it went well. He's very pleasant underneath it all, the rough exterior…"

"The what…oh Edwina, the right woman can turn even a hardened man into putty with the right looks, the right words…and I look forward to that opportunity."

She had that smile on her face that made Edwina wonder why she was really here. Edwina thought Ethan to be a fine looking man but that's not what she saw first. She couldn't look for that, not considering what he offered and what he wanted in return. But Stella…she seemed enamored as much by his appearance as anything else.

"I want to try that not that it'll be too hard," Stella said, "I imagine it's been a while since he's enjoyed the companies of a beautiful worldly woman…qualities not to be found in what few eligible women live here."

Edwina couldn't argue with that. Paradise for better and worse was a mining town, which favored large populations of young men who aged quickly through the hardship and unpredictability of such a life. There was a cluster of families and also the widows some who'd lost their men to the war if not the mines.

Other than that, there were saloon girls but Ethan hadn't seemed interested in any of them beyond polite conversation.

"Well he's done with you for the day and can now focus on me," Stella said, "I think the fact that he's inviting me to a late dinner is a good sign….and it means I can dress up."

Edwina watched as Stella wound her hair up in a bunch to style above the nape of her neck. She looked more respectable that way though Edwina suspected her fancies were anything but that. She might be looking for a husband yes…but she wanted a good time first. Somehow, Edwina didn't suspect that Ethan wanted the same thing…if he did, he'd be carousing at the saloon with women who provided good times for a living.

But Stella didn't seem concerned about that as she got herself ready.

"I think I'll go for a walk to work up an appetite," she said, "for food among other things."

Edwina sighed, watching Stella reach for a bonnet to wear. She knew that she'd never beat the other woman at her own game but if she stuck to her own plan, she just might come out ahead in the end.

* * *

Ethan sat in his office looking at Wanted posters and listening to Dakota and Charlie talk about a fight they'd broken up the night before at the saloon. Not much of a brawl, more of a squirmish over a hand in a poker game. The men had spent the night cooling off in the jail but had been released at sunrise and having sobered up, sent on their way.

He thought breakfast with Edwina had gone well. She seemed like a nice woman if a bit quiet. Intelligent and not bad on the eye…pretty in fact. She didn't show that part of herself off like Stella but seemed content to focus on other attributes like her appetite for reading. Ethan didn't read many books and the ones he did not very well but he admired her interest and knew it'd come in handy for reading to the boys at night and helping them on their homework.

"So you seeing the other woman tonight?"

Ethan looked up at Dakota who looked amused and nodded.

"She's sure a looker Ethan," Dakota said, "Some men have all the hard jobs."

Ethan sighed.

"I'm just doing what I have to do," he said, "to keep the children."

Dakota nodded but didn't lose his knowing smile.

"Still, maybe it's about time you married and settled down," he said, "You aint getting any younger."

There'd been a time in his life when Ethan thought he'd done that already but it hadn't worked out with Amelia. If things had gone the way he'd thought, they'd already be married and he wouldn't have to worry about losing custody of his niece and nephews. But it'd all come crashing down on them when she'd left him, not wanting to be married to a man who lived and who might very well die by the gun. He couldn't change himself and when she begged him not to try and stop her from leaving, he'd just stood and watched. It'd gone against all his instincts but when he'd seen the look in her eyes, he'd done as she wanted.

He thought about her a lot and hoped she was happy wherever she wound up. She likely wouldn't be coming back home and he'd come to terms with that. Not that he didn't feel more than a trace of wistfulness, of wondering about what could have been if fate had smiled on them….but life just had to go on. He had a family to raise after all and keep some judge from taking away from him.

"I'm not losing the children Dakota…"

The younger man sighed, knowing he was never more serious.

"Yeah but if only you and Amelia…"

Ethan cut him off at the quick.

"Can't think about what would have been…she made her decision and it wasn't a life with me."

"She could come back…"

Ethan had shut himself off to that possibility.

"If she were she'd have done so already, it's been months…"

Dakota knew when to stop pushing the issue so he fell quiet and Ethan resumed looking at the posters. Idly wondering if one of the crudely drawn portraits fit any man who might have been responsible for what happened with Clinton Wyatt's wife and child.

Then he put them down on his desk and left the office to go get his horse.

* * *

Amelia had ridden back to her house taking the back roads. It never did good to risk being followed and it gave her time to think about what to do next. She needed help and she knew whose help she needed and didn't like it.

She needed Ethan's help. But she hadn't even met up with him since her return. She didn't know what to say to him after running off. Besides whenever she thought about it, she remembered how it'd been between them…the raw emotions that still gripped her when she let her guard down. She'd never loved any man like she had him…not even Pierce. Her first husband had been all about a young girl's infatuation and need to escape a droll existence…but with Ethan it'd been a slow burning intensity between them once she realized that he wasn't the enemy. She'd erred so much by glossing over what he did for a living until it terrified her so much that night in the hotel when she'd almost lost him.

She realized then and there that she didn't want to be his widow. She didn't know how she felt about it now…it didn't seem so cataclysmic but time had passed and feelings…well he must have moved on if he was planning to marry a woman.

Walking up her steps she glanced over and saw a blonde haired girl walking up the steps of the schoolhouse. She knew it to be Claire and hoped that she hadn't seen her. She felt pangs of guilt from hiding her return from the children but for all she knew they viewed her as someone who abandoned them and their uncle when needed.

That hadn't been her intention at all. She didn't know what she'd been thinking now…but it was surely too late.

Besides she had to help save Miranda and her baby.


	12. Chapter 12

Amelia ran into a familiar face on her way to the post office to check on the wires that she'd sent out earlier. The familiar sounding voice stopped her in her tracks. A hint of reproach barely masked by surprise…even amazement probably that she'd returned to Paradise after her dramatic exit.

"Amelia is that really you?"

She thought about not turning around and acknowledging the woman who called out to her but knew that would attract even more attention and speculation. The gossip mill would run overtime as she became the talk of the town…and that's not what she wanted at all. She didn't want certain people namely one to learn about her arrival that way.

So she turned and faced Matilda, the spinster who'd worked in her bank at the teller windows. The woman who'd never really approved of her behavior especially since she and Ethan had started spending so much time together while she'd still been married to Pierce.

Oh yeah, it was all well and proper for him to run off on her and do God knows what but for her to keep company with a man, that made her become quite the scandal. When the divorce papers were signed, it only became slightly more respectable to busybodies like Matilda.

She took a deep breath.

"Yes it is me…I returned only several days ago…"

The woman processed that information and then smiled.

"So will you be staying long or are you just here to settle your affairs?"

Amelia knew she wanted to know if she'd be selling the house…the one she'd kept even after selling the bank.

She chose her words carefully knowing they'd be all over town soon enough.

"I…I don't know yet," she said, "I do have to deal with what I left behind," she said, "but I haven't decided yet."

Matilda paused, her eyes narrowing.

"Oh…so this has nothing to do with Mr. Cord?"

Amelia felt that familiar tug in her heart because she'd never forgotten him after all.. But she couldn't afford to remember that now. She had a job to do and people to protect so she couldn't betray her reasons for returning to Paradise.

"Well, we're not engaged anymore if that's what you mean," she said, "Besides I heard he's searching for a wife to allow him to keep the children."

Matilda nodded slowly obviously having gotten wind of that situation

"Ah yes…two women came by stagecoach to see him," she said, "They're at the hotel and both have been seen spending time with him."

Amelia had heard about that too…she'd just been too busy to really think about it. No, that wasn't completely true. When she lay in her bed alone at night staring at the ceiling she thought about it a lot. She thought about all the time she'd spent with him once she'd opened herself up to the possibilities of loving another man. Only she hadn't loved Pierce the same way she'd loved Ethan

Ethan scared her more because of the intensity of her feelings. Pierce had been the focal point of infatuation and a means of escaping her life. Her love for Ethan had crept up on her over time insidiously because for quite a while she hadn't been able to stand him. Another violent gunslinger in their midst putting everyone in danger by attracting the wrong kind of people who caused all sorts of trouble. But by the time she realized she might just love the man, it was too late.

"I wish the best for him," she said, "Those children mean everything to him and they love him back. There's no better place…no right place for them to be than with him."

Matilda shrugged.

"Well it's noble for you to think that way but you used to be engaged to him…"

Amelia sighed.

"What seems like a long time ago Matilda," she said, "We've both moved on…I left town and he's clearly gone on with his life."

She left out the part about how a piece of her wished that weren't so but well, it was really for the best…for both of them.

"Does he know you're in town?"

Amelia bit her lip. The question she liked the least. She didn't want to tell Matilda that he didn't even know.

"He will…if he doesn't already," she said, "The town's not that large."

She thought she saw a look of reproach on the older woman's face.

"I'm not here to interfere with his plans," she said, "I have my own life."

Matilda sighed.

"That's all well and good," she said, "but old feelings…well enough on that. I do want to tell you that the ladies auxiliary is holding a tea tomorrow. You're invited if you're interested."

The invitation seemed sincere enough but you'd never know with Matilda and some of her crowd.

"I'll think about it," Amelia said, "I've got things I need to get done but I might get them done early enough."

Matilda nodded and moved on her way. Amelia watched her go knowing she'd be the talk of the town before sunset. And she hadn't even told Ethan yet.

* * *

Ethan sipped his scotch at the hotel saloon while Dakota regaled him with how he'd helped one of the ranchers rescue his son from being treed by a herd of wild boars.

"So boss what were you up to or should I ask?"

Ethan had just arrived from the wire office.

"No word on Miranda," he said, "She's still missing and her husband wants to hire a posse."

Dakota shook his head.

"He sure something happened to her? Maybe she got tired of him."

Ethan sighed.

"She's got a baby."

Dakota shrugged.

"So what…she took the baby with her right?"

Ethan nodded.

"Both of them are missing and he's worried something's happened," he said, "but there's no ransom. The man's got a lot of money so that might make him a target for outlaws."

"True…maybe they just haven't contacted him yet."

Ethan had considered that too.

"Maybe…"

Dakota drank all his whisky in one slug.

"So those women kept you real busy?"

Ethan grimaced.

"I'm spending time with both of them to figure which one to marry."

Dakota's mouth quirked

"Makes sense…it's called courting a woman isn't it? Only doesn't a man only court one woman at a time?"

Ethan figured in most cases that was true. It'd been like that with him and Amelia…his heart felt a squeeze like a vice just thinking about her again. Why on earth do that when she was long gone? Made no sense at all…since he'd moved on with his life. But this marriage wouldn't be about loving a woman, it'd be about keeping his family together. Of course he'd be a good husband, faithful to his wife but his heart…it wouldn't be a part of it

It could never be again because there'd never be another woman like her again. He'd loved her fiercely but it hadn't been enough and she'd left him.

He figured at this point he'd never see her again .


	13. Chapter 13

She stood at the end of the aisle waiting for him just as she always did in his dreams. Of course there had been those times in reality when she'd been there too, standing under the makeshift trellis laced with flowers. She'd been so damn beautiful dressed in off-white silk lace and silk, her dark hair curly and covered by a veil.

They'd come too damn close in real life to being man and wife but always some crisis had interrupted them until she decided she couldn't take it anymore and broke it off with him. The engagement, because divorcing their feelings proved to be too difficult for the both of them.

She finally realized she had to physically distance herself from him under the guise of doing the traveling she'd always dreamed of doing.

But in Ethan's dreams, he relived those moments over and over but he always woke up before they'd finished their vows. He'd lay back in his bed staring at the ceiling and feeling so damn frustrated…in part because despite their time apart, he'd still missed her so much. He'd thought with each passing day, his feelings for her would fade a little more but instead they intensified.

She'd probably moved on, he guessed maybe even with another man. Maybe she'd completed that walk down the aisle and her vows with her new husband, maybe they'd settled down on a homestead or in a nice house in some city filled with the things that Paradise lacked.

But then he was trying to move on…as much out of necessity as anything else. He needed a wife and a mother for the children in order to raise them and now he had to decide between two women who'd traveled a long distance to see him.

Edwina and Stella….two women who couldn't be more different from each other and yet…he sighed trying to get back to sleep. He'd been tired between handling his marshal duties and spending time with both of them to get to know them so he'd be able to make one of the most important decisions of his life.

It seemed like the right thing to do to keep his family together but why then did it feel so wrong? Probably because he'd have to make this choice almost literally under the gun or else and he didn't know how much time the judge gave him. He just knew he'd have to act quickly.

Amelia had been in his dreams again only they were in a hotel room somewhere, someplace pretty fancy and he'd felt mighty warm when he'd woken up. His skin felt scorched from where she'd been stroking it and his mouth, the taste of her on his lips seemed so damn real. But he knew it'd only been a dream.

He'd gone to bed as soon as he'd gotten home and eaten the dinner that Claire had saved for him. She'd been working on her own lesson plans and he felt a twinge of guilt that she had to run the household rather than having a mother do that. That was one thing he could change for them.

Soon enough either Edwina or Stella would run the household, cook the meals and read to the boys before they fell asleep. That made his decision to get married to one of those women the right one…he'd realize that when he made his choice.

The dreams about Amelia would fade away when that happened. The reality would sink in that whatever they had shared together, it had passed them by and they'd both moved on in different directions. John Taylor had told him she'd be back and he'd held onto that because his friend had never been wrong in his pronouncements about people but she'd never returned and at this point, he doubted he'd ever see her again.

He hoped wherever she was right now she was happy. If that meant meeting up and marrying another man, then that's the way it should be. His mind told him that…but a part of him wished differently.

That's the part that met up with her when he was sleeping.

* * *

Amelia woke up from her own dreams and she remembered where she slept now. She was back in her bed in the house she had left in Paradise before heading off to do some traveling. She'd dreamt about him again, the man she'd almost married, maybe would have married if so much hadn't happened.

What it'd been like to share more of herself with him than even her sorry excuse for an ex Pierce, she'd been surprised at first at her willingness to do so after the way her husband had betrayed her trust.

They'd been kissing in her dream after he slid his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him, his body molding to her own as if they belonged together rather than apart. Life seemed so much simpler when it became about how it felt to be in his arms, how it felt to listen to his words, reality slipping away to the back of her mind and her passion, their passion in the forefront.

Damn, she'd woken up then thinking she'd heard a noise. Her body tensed and her ears listened but only quiet darkness met her. She closed her eyes and settled back against her pillow, knowing it was just her alone in the house. Clinton…if he was out there, he was looking for his wife and baby and more likely he'd send hired men to do it for him. He wouldn't want to look any less than the powerful civic leader he was in Virginia City but that wouldn't make him any less formidable even dangerous.

She'd seen that side of him, the personality he kept hidden behind the charismatic and smooth exterior. His handsomeness made that much easier and she'd almost fallen for it, until she witnessed an altercation between him and his wife at a party. She'd waited until he'd walked away from her sprawled on the floor from the force of his hand before rushing to help her on her feet.

It hadn't taken long to get even uglier. But she knew she had to help Miranda and her baby too. She couldn't let Clinton find them and force them back home. She knew he'd be desperate to do so…each day they were missing, more questions would be asked in low whispers. He had his critics but none dared challenge him openly.

Amelia fingered the scar he'd given her just above one of her eyes. It wasn't really noticeable but she remembered it. Yes, the man was very dangerous.

That meant something more…it meant she'd need help to get Miranda and her child to safety. It mean that she'd have to confront Ethan and ask him to help her…to use the very talents of his that had driven her away. But she didn't have a choice…lives depended on it and a woman's freedom. She didn't know how he'd respond…after all, she'd hurt him badly when she'd left him. He had wanted so much to stop her but she had begged him to let her go this time…before she'd weaken. She knew that loving someone wasn't enough when reality hit…she had faced losing him forever one long night and it'd nearly broken her.

But the man was getting married to one of two women which meant he'd moved on. That'd make her job easier, it just had to and it'd be less awkward for her. She'd be happy for him if he found happiness, if time had moved one of them forward in life that stood for something.

She just wished it had worked for her as well as it did for him…her last thought before drifting back to sleep and dreams where he waited.


	14. Chapter 14

"I thought we were going to have dinner together…"

Ethan looked over at Stella who had dressed up like Sunday's church and wore a pout on her face. He remembered that they had dinner plans but duty called in the form of a wire that had just hit his desk about the missing mother and child in Virginia City.

"I mean you spent time with _her_…"

Meaning that he'd spent several hours with that other candidate to be his wife, Edwina. Not that much had happened except he'd peppered her with more questions and she'd answered them while they'd been walking down the main street past the line of businesses. Some of the merchants stood on the wooden sidewalks and watched them as they went by, including Axelrod who just shook his head as he loaded up more vegetables to sell in front of his mercantile.

Claire had been there with him tending the books but she just smiled as she saw Ethan and Edwina pass on by. Ethan thought that his niece liked the quieter woman. Much more so than the more flamboyant Stella who looked every bit that as she stared at him now obviously unhappy that their plans had been canceled.

"It shouldn't take long," he said, "The restaurant's open late tonight."

"So an hour maybe…or two," she said, "I suppose I can wait until then…if you make it worth my while."

The lilt in that last few words…he knew what that meant but he had no intention of any intimacies during the selection process. Not that he didn't look forward to the honeymoon because it'd been quite a while since…the last woman, the one he'd almost married. He knew that once he'd made his choice and he and his bride married then he'd settle nicely into the role of husband to woman he barely knew.

He had to do that…he'd do anything no matter what to keep the children living with him. They were family…and he couldn't imagine them living anywhere else but underneath his roof. The past few years….it'd made it impossible to remember what life had been like without them.

It'd been like that with Amelia too…until she left. Now he didn't want to remember what it'd been like when they'd been so close…he'd never been that close to any woman. Oh he'd done more than his fair share of carousing but good times and pleasures of the flesh were all he shared…he never even let a woman catch a glimpse of his heart.

Not until her and with her he'd done so much more than that. But it had hurt so damn much when she left him…no he couldn't think about the past. He had the future to plan and it was all about keeping the family together.

That meant eating dinner much later with Stella and treating it like business as if he were hiring another deputy and not a wife.

"I'll see you later…"

He walked away and headed to his office when Dakota turned a corner nearly colliding with him.

"Hey Ethan…did you get the wire?"

"I heard about it, haven't read it yet."

Dakota sighed.

"Clinton wants a posse to hunt his wife and kid," he said, "didn't say anything about outlaws."

Ethan wondered about that. He thought if the man had enemies which most men in power did, he'd be able to narrow down which ones would come after him through his weaknesses. For any man who'd settled, it was family. Ethan knew that about himself, his vulnerability was the children, something he tried to keep hidden. If he couldn't do that, he shielded them in other ways with gunfire if necessary.

"Any idea who's responsible?"

Dakota shook his head.

"No one but he mentioned a woman," he said, "Some out of town lady who showed up to stir up trouble…a decoy perhaps?"

Ethan didn't know that, not with only getting bit and pieces from a man who if he'd been truly distraught, well he'd provide more details about what might have happened.

"Don't know Dakota…maybe," he said, "Anything else…about any outlaws?"

"No…just this woman…"

"She got a name?"

Dakota paused.

"He didn't give one," he said, "maybe he ran out of money for the telegram."

Ethan shook his head.

"Not likely…maybe it's not outlaws, maybe it's personal."

"Meaning…"

Ethan reached the office and headed on inside, Dakota a step behind them. Both of them settled in their chairs by the desk.

"Maybe she just took off and left him…"

"You mean…like desertion?"

Ethan shrugged.

"Could explain why he's stingy with the details," he said, "Wouldn't be the first time it's happened to a man."

After all, Ethan had a woman walk away from him and he hadn't even been married. But if Miranda had done that had she taken the baby with her? If it was family related, he didn't relish being caught in the middle of it. Outlaws he could handle, domestic quarrels he'd found could be much more dangerous.

"Maybe this woman's a mistress of his and the wife found out?"

Ethan considered that, anything was possible. Personally he didn't want a life that complicated but a politician into money and power might.

"Guess we'll find out soon enough."

All of a sudden he wasn't looking forward to that.

* * *

Amelia couldn't believe it. She'd gone to check for a wire and some woman named Daisy had handed her one. She didn't know Daisy and Daisy didn't know her which suited her just fine. Running into people she did know just would breed complications including a huge one in the form of her ex-fiancé.

Ethan…damn she didn't want to think about him. She knew she needed his help but couldn't face him. Leaving him had been the most important decision she'd ever made….she knew she'd had to do it. If she'd stayed, she'd die inside in ways she couldn't even think about…so she'd ran away. She knew that despite her excuses about wanting to finally travel and see all those places pasted in her scrapbook that was exactly what she'd done.

She'd broken his heart and if he'd moved on to a new life…did she want to reopen old wounds? Not just his…not by a longshot. But she had to face that…the life of Miranda and the baby might depend on it and it's not like they'd fall back into each other's arms.

No, that part of their lives had ended even before she'd left him closing that door behind her. He surely realized that by now. Love didn't just go away so cleanly…it probably never would at least for her but reality had its way of asserting itself. Ethan was seeking a wife and she knew that either Edwina or Stella would fill that role quite well for him…it was none of her business anymore what he did for himself or the children.

But right now she had to focus on the wire. That damn Clinton had her listed as an accomplice to kidnapping his wife and child. Her contact had tipped her off and she knew her face would soon be plastered on a poster all over the region…so she had to figure out what to do fast.

She knew if Ethan saw her again she didn't want it to be on a damn Wanted poster. So she left the wire building walking quickly to the house.

Then she heard the voice behind her suddenly.

"Amelia?"


	15. Chapter 15

She recognized the voice before turning around to face Matilda.

The old spinster and busybody who'd worked as a teller in the bank when she'd owned it in a different life. The one who thought the sun rose and set on her cad of an ex-husband Pierce even after he'd run away from her and frowned at her relationship with Ethan who'd turned out to be a much better man.

"Amelia…is that really you?"

She turned around to face Matilda with a tight smile.

"Yes…of course it's me."

The other woman pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. Amelia thought she could see disapproval so she knew that time hadn't changed everything.

"Well, what a surprise…when did you return?"

Amelia paused.

"A few days ago…on business…"

"How long are you staying?"

Amelia shrugged.

"I don't know…yet. That depends on how long it takes me to finish."

Matilda nodded slightly and Amelia knew her mind was working. Matilda had always been nosy and had the fastest pair of moving lips in Paradise. Whatever Amelia told her would be elaborated upon and spread around like wildfire within the day.

"Are you selling your house?"

Oh of course she'd ask that, a way to get more information and because she'd always liked it.

"I don't know…but I imagine if I do, you'd be among the first to know about it."

Matilda wrinkled her mouth.

"I don't know why you say that not that it's not a nice house…that might need a little work of course since it's been left in such a state."

Amelia smiled.

"It's doing just fine…just needed a bit of dusting that's all."

She continued walking and Matilda kept pace with her. Damn she really didn't want to deal with someone who made up for living alone by getting involved in everyone else's business.

"You seen Mr. Cord yet?"

Amelia had been expecting that question.

"No…but we're both quite busy I'd imagine…"

"He's been very busy," Matilda said, "He's got to find himself a wife you know."

Amelia nodded slowly.

"I'd heard something like that in passing but it doesn't concern me," she said, "I wish the best for him in his search."

Matilda harrumphed.

"It's for the children you know, so he can keep him in that house," she said, "because the judge didn't think it appropriate for him to raise them by himself and believed a couple would be more suitable."

"Even if they're not blood relatives?"

Matilda nodded.

"Well he's been a bachelor for so long and he's had such a dangerous life. Surely you know that as well as anyone. Better I'd imagine."

That part of it was definitely true and she'd not kept it a secret very well breaking off her engagement with him and then leaving town not long after he'd nearly died from one of the many bullets that had hit him.

"He's the best parent those children could ever have," she said, "What the judge did was wrong."

"Still it leaves him searching for a wife," Matilda said, "and there's two women in the running."

Ah yes, Stella and Edwina, the two women who'd shared the stagecoach with her. She felt a stab of something that she told herself wasn't envy…no she wished the well for the man she'd nearly married. They might not have been able to share a life together but she wanted him to be happy and the children to have their uncle.

"I did hear about that. Both of them seem to be…good candidates."

She found it difficult to spit the words out.

Matilda nodded.

"I think both look suitable enough," she said, "though the one named Stella seems a bit…flamboyant."

Amelia nearly laughed but kept a serious face. She remembered all the times that Matilda had looked down on her for not being a good enough wife to that lovely gentleman Pierce. Sometimes she wished she hadn't kept the details of what really happened to herself. The only one who really knew all of it was Ethan of course…and he'd never judged her for any of it. He'd nearly punched out Pierce a couple times even when he'd been helped by him and he'd been the one who'd brokered a deal to get the divorce papers signed setting him free.

God, she'd owed him so much and she'd loved him fiercely…but she couldn't live with him. When he'd nearly died…she'd seen her future without him and without knowing herself either apart from him. That had scared her and she'd run…and she wasn't proud of it but what was past, it just had to be for the best.

"I'm sure either will be fine," Amelia said, "It's been nice but I've got work to do."

Matilda narrowed her eyes.

"Work?"

Amelia looked back at her.

"Yes work…"

She walked away from Matilda not wanting more questions. She knew that word would get to Ethan soon enough and then she'd have to face him at some point.

She needed his help, she just wasn't in a hurry to ask for it. But she had no choice, not when the lives of two other people including a baby depended on it.

Now if she could just find the words…without having the emotions follow closely behind them.

* * *

Ethan sighed having finished reading the wires about Clinton and by now, he suspected there was more to the story and more of a personal nature involved. Damn, he didn't want to get himself involved in a family squabble. No, dealing with outlaws suited him much better, yeah they could be more dangerous in many circumstances but free of the complications that came when families splintered.

He'd almost gone that route with Amelia not that he wanted to think about it. He'd been dreaming about her again and woke up feeling the loss all over again. Not that he'd be thinking that way for long, not with a marriage in his future. Either Edwina or Stella would be his wife and a mother to the children which was what he needed most.

Both of them were pretty ladies. So there'd be that side of marriage as well. But when he thought about that part of it, his thoughts always went back to Amelia. The softness of her skin under his fingertips and tasting her mouth. Yeah sometimes they fought but they made up for it afterward and nothing beat being wrapped up in her warmth feeling her soft breath against him when she fell asleep.

No, he had to put those images away and focus on the task ahead. He didn't know how much time the judge had given him to find a suitable wife. But he didn't want to get caught without one and lose the children.

They were his world…even more so than slinging a gun around and chasing outlaws. If he lost them…no he couldn't think that way either.

"Ethan you ready to go riding?"

He looked up at Dakota.

"Got some time…got to meet Edwina for dinner."

"Another interview?"

Ethan nodded. Dakota whistled.

"Man you really are serious about getting yourself a wife…"

"I'll do anything to keep the children," he said, "No judge is going to tell me I can't raise my own kin. If all it takes is getting a wife…"

"All it takes Ethan…damn you really want to tie yourself down like that?"

Ethan shot Dakota a critical look.

"I almost did that with Amelia a couple times."

Dakota smiled.

"Yeah but you loved her…whatever that means."

Yeah he did, couldn't argue against that but where had it gotten them? Not past the altar that's for sure…they never even made it to their vows. If love mattered that much, then why were they apart now?

A moot point with the woman more miles away from him than he cared to know.

"It means that I'm going to marry one of these two women…I just got to figure out one."

Dakota just shook his head as they went outside to fetch their horses.


	16. Chapter 16

Edwina and Stella ran into each other in town at Axelrod's mercantile. Claire had settled in behind the counter finishing up the daily ledger while her boss was out complaining about some vagrants living outside the saloon. Claire thought that they looked like miners down on their luck who just were looking for work since the closure. Harmless enough until she remembered that sometime back, Uncle Ethan and Amelia had been ambushed by a pack of them while traveling to Virginia City.

She'd nursed a battered Ethan after Joseph had found him lying down barely conscious just off the trail. Even so all her uncle could think about was going off to find Amelia before…his determination and desperation so wired in him that he'd gotten out of his sick bed and after getting his clothes on and his gun holstered, he'd ridden on out looking for her.

Not that he remembered much of what happened when he found her except shooting some young men dead saying they didn't know when to stop.

Instinct, she'd told the boys like John Taylor had told her. Ethan loved and protected his family and Amelia was part of it.

She suspected as much now even though she'd left town after Uncle Ethan nearly died. Only Claire knew among her siblings that it'd been their own long lost father who'd pulled the trigger. She'd never had the heart to tell the others. As secrets went, this one didn't weigh as heavily on her heart as others.

The two women were lingering in the store by the section that sold nice looking hair pins and broaches. They'd just got a fresh shipment of them in from San Francisco and though there were few women to buy them some of them had sold.

"I like the butterfly," she said, "I know Mr. Cord will love how it flatters my eyes."

Claire rolled her eyes. Oh that…she knew another secret that her brothers didn't and that was Uncle Ethan's search for a wife and new mother for them. She knew he didn't really want to do that but that it meant the difference between keeping the family together and losing the children to the state courts.

"Oh Stella it does look nice," Edwina said, "but I like the cluster of little pink roses."

The other woman snorted.

"You would and for someone of your…stature that might be suitable but I'm a woman of the world and Mr. Cord knows that."

Edwina paused and Claire sensed that she was the quieter of the two.

"I guess…you're right but maybe he doesn't want a woman who's seen too much of the world," she said, "He seems to be a man with deep roots, someone who needs a home to return to after his travels."

Claire smiled at that thinking it apt. Ethan was much more than a gunslinger living on the thrill of the chase and the draw of the pistol. He had grown into the role of their uncle in ways she was old enough to appreciate. It hadn't been easy for him, it'd been a struggle but love had kept them together through many tribulations.

Nothing could split their family apart not even a judge. She just didn't understand how her uncle marrying a stranger could fix it. He'd almost married Amelia a time or two or more…she lost count of how many times they'd all stood under the trellis of flowers for the wedding.

Always it got interrupted way before the vows were exchanged. Amelia had finally had too much and though Claire had been hurt, she couldn't blame her.

"I'm seeing him tonight for dinner. I must have pleased him."

Stella sighed.

"I know I did…had him wrapped around my finger. Men like him really aren't all that difficult to figure out."

Claire thought neither of them would figure her uncle out…not the part of him that she knew. He just didn't show his gentleness very often certainly not with strangers.

"Maybe tougher than you think Stella…you know he's just doing this for his kin. It's not about us."

Stella shrugged.

"Don't care what he wants. A good hard man who's got a home and money is looking awfully nice right now."

Claire heard the hint in Stella's voice that there was more at stake here than just Ethan keeping the family together. She needed something too but what? Not that it mattered…Claire wanted her uncle to be able to keep them together.

But she wanted him to be happy as well. Amelia had brought joy to him even in times of conflict. They didn't always agree, weren't always on the same side but she knew they loved each other fiercely.

The whole town knew.

"It's going to take more than nice trinkets to win him," Edwina said, "because he's in love with someone else."

Stella chuckled.

"That hardly matters because they're not together are they?"

Claire narrowed her eyes wondering if they were talking about Amelia and her uncle. But how would they know about her?

* * *

Ethan looked at a wanted poster that had been thrust at him by Charlie and couldn't believe his eyes.

"Amelia?"

Sure enough, it looked like her picture on the sheet of paper. Her curly dark hair around her face, eyes that looked piercing even as if studying something intently. The hint of a smile on her face. He just couldn't believe it.

"That's what I thought boss," Charlie said, "Spitting image of her isn't it? But then maybe it's someone who just looks like her."

Ethan shook his head.

"No it's her…makes no sense how she got herself wrapped up in a kidnapping…"

He didn't realize how close she'd been as Virginia City was only several days away on horseback. It'd seem like she'd been many more miles away from him than that out traveling the wide expanses of the country.

If only he'd known…but what would he have done? She didn't want him following her or trying to stop her.

"We got to find her," Charlie said, "before some other posse does Ethan…or something might happen."

Ethan knew that it could get dangerous for her if she ran into anyone hunting her down.

"It's got to be some misunderstanding," Charlie said, "Amelia's not an outlaw."

Ethan knew that and he knew that whatever she'd been doing, it had been to help someone not harm them. He knew he had to find her he just didn't know where to start looking.

* * *

Amelia read a wire that had come in which appeared to be from her contact and wanted her to meet at the barn again. Much sooner than she'd expected which means that the plan must have been moved ahead…maybe something had happened to make it more important to get Miranda and the baby to a safer place.

She'd go to the barn to get them and they'd return to Paradise and hide out in her house with plenty of room until she made arrangements to find them a new safe haven…in a larger city like Stockton or San Francisco.

Nighttime would provide cover and that left her plenty of time to get ready to ride on out to help her friend…before Carlton could catch up with her.

She thought about getting Ethan to help her but now that the plan had been pushed forward…not enough time to do that. She'd have to make do by herself but she thought she could do that. Ethan would want to spend too much time getting an explanation out of her.

Truth be told she didn't want to run into him and have their past in front of her when she needed to focus on what she had to do to help Miranda. She couldn't afford to be distracted by her feelings for Ethan and what they might have shared together.

No it was much easier to focus on what lay ahead and keep all the complications of her life past and present at bay.

She told herself that as she headed back to her house to get ready.


	17. Chapter 17

Ethan wondered if Amelia knew she was a wanted woman. That she'd been accused of kidnapping a woman and her baby…or at least aiding and abetting.

No, more than likely she was miles away exploring the world as she'd always wanted totally unaware of the drama going on back here. But why had her face turned up on a poster? It looked just like the woman he remembered, the one whose every detail remained etched inside his brain. He knew every detail of her face, how every inch of her skin felt beneath his fingertips…how she felt wrapped up in his embrace as they both returned to earth after loving each other. His breath nearly stopped just at the memory of the last time they'd been together that way. It'd been after their engagement had been broken…not long after the murder of the doctor who'd come to solve a medical mystery and wound up trying to court her.

When he said that the man would be good for her, he meant it. To love someone meant wanting the best for them even if it wasn't you…but a part of him had still wanted her too damn much. He'd bristled and nearly gotten angry when the doctor had bluntly told him that he wasn't good enough for Amelia…what with his lifestyle of reckless violence and the ugliness of what came with marshaling in a small town.

No, the doctor had said he'd be able to offer the woman they both wanted so much more and Ethan hadn't doubted it…but it didn't change his feelings. He'd mourned the man's death that he'd avenged using all his resources against a hostile town but Amelia had returned to his arms not long afterward.

It hadn't been the same as earlier. This Amelia, she loved him every bit as much he knew but a wariness had shown up as well standing between them. He'd tried to ignore it or push it aside but sure enough she'd decided to leave him.

He held the poster in his hand and he feared for her. That someone might shoot first and ask questions later if they ran into the woman who matched the poster of a kidnapper. If she'd been involved…it had to be much more than it looked. She wasn't an outlaw by any stretch and if she'd met up with Miranda, it must have been to help her through some kind of trouble.

"It might be her husband," Dakota said, "because I sure as hell can't believe Amelia would kidnap anyone."

"I know that…but that's why we got to find her and get to the bottom of it," Ethan said, "and if she's not nearby that might be difficult."

Dakota snorted.

"She must be close by…Virginia City's only a couple days ride away."

"I know that…"

But what he didn't want to say to Dakota or anyone was that if she'd been that close to Paradise and him…she'd made sure to keep her distance from both. She didn't want to see him again and he…he still kept looking for her everywhere even without realizing it.

"Then she's got to be close by," Dakota reasoned, "You going to ride out that way?"

Ethan shook his head.

"Don't have any reason to do so…if she was still there they'd have found her."

Dakota nodded.

"Okay then what about around here? I think you'd better find her before someone does something reckless and she gets hurt."

Ethan didn't want to consider that but he knew Dakota was right. Some guys with a gun and a mind to get their hands on some reward money might not care if she lived and might find it easier to just drag a body from horseback to collect.

"Have to figure out where to start," he said, "and factor in that she's not wanting to be found."

"You know her Ethan. You know where she might go if there's trouble."

He hoped that she might come to him if she were in trouble. No matter what had happened between them, he'd always be there for her. It'd hurt him being so close and not able to touch her but the thought of anything happening to her…not acceptable in his book.

No her life mattered more than just about anything. He knew he had to find her soon.

"I know a few places," he said, "but if she's trying to help this woman she might not stick around in this area."

"Won't know until you look."

Ethan gritted his teeth.

"I know that…I'll talk to the ranchers outside of town on the main road and see if they noticed anything different."

That'd be as good place to start as any. Then he remembered his dinner tonight with Edwina and how much it mattered that he pick his wife as soon as possible before the judge enforce his order.

"I'm sure the two new women in your life will understand. How else are they going to learn about your life before reaching the altar?"

Dakota did make sense sometimes.

"I think I can make tonight's dinner," he said, "Not much to do today except send more wires to other marshal's offices."

His deputy nodded and they both set out to do that.

* * *

"What are you doing here?"

Amelia turned to see Stella walking towards her dressed up real nice as if she were headed to church. But then she remembered she was out to be Ethan's wife and the mother of the children. She felt that tug inside of her that it'd be someone else but her but life proved too damn complicated right now and that was all water under the creek.

"I thought you'd be gone already."

Amelia sighed.

"I've still got business to do," she said, "how are things going with Mr. Cord?"

Stella waved a hand.

"Oh Ethan? Things are going very well for the two of us. We'll be in front of the altar soon enough."

Amelia didn't doubt that. Her money was on Stella because she clearly knew how to play the game and she knew the depths that Ethan would go to keep the children with him. She'd seen it herself even before they'd been together. Damn he'd infuriated her so many times with the way violence followed his footsteps into town and the way he challenged her own beliefs seemingly for his own amusement.

Until she learned how much she'd underestimated the man.

"We'll be married and living in a brand new house…."

"What's wrong with the ranch?"

Stella shrugged.

"Oh not much but it's too small and rustic," she said, "I'd like something closer to town and I know I can convince him of that."

Amelia didn't doubt that either. After all, Ethan had banged up his own thumbs building their dream house in the meadow near the luck. The one that had burned to the ground as yet another person tried to come after him where it hurt. Another nail on the coffin of their relationship.

"I can't see why you gave him up Amelia," Stella said, "He's so handsome and so very gallant. He just needs the right kind of woman, that's all."

Amelia pursed her lips.

"He'll try your patience with his lifestyle. Are you ready for that part of it?"

Stella didn't seem fazed.

"I'll be just fine. No need for you to worry about someone who's probably just a bit stronger than you were…more loyal to her man."

Amelia felt like rolling her eyes. For all their struggles, she and Ethan had always been equals. Since Pierce, she had no desire to allow a man to dominate her or try to control her. The law didn't grant women any rights, but she'd learned how to assert herself and control what mattered to her. Only Ethan hadn't wanted the bank…or anything from her but her love.

The cost for that had proven most expensive of all.

"That's all well and good…Stella. I wish you two the best of luck with your…marriage. But I've got my own life to live."

She walked right past the other woman and that's when she saw Charlie.


	18. Chapter 18

Ethan barely made it to the restaurant where Edwina sat all dressed waiting for him by the bar. Scotty had served her a drink and she sipped it while he told her one of his many stories. He'd got there just in time, Ethan thought because once Scotty got started…well soon enough Mary would call him into the kitchen to work on an order.

"I'll take over from here…"

Scotty nodded and then Ethan escorted Edwina to a table in the corner. She smiled at him as they walked.

"Nice to see you…I heard you might be a little late."

"I finished my work," he said, "I got two deputies to help me."

"That's good…and it's a beautiful evening isn't it? I was taking a walk by the shops on my way here and ran into Mr. Axelrod?"

Ethan nodded.

"He runs the mercantile and tries to run me out of town once in a while."

She frowned.

"That doesn't sound very nice."

Ethan sighed.

"We don't always agree on how I should do my job but in the end it's my call."

"I imagine yes," she said, "I heard about how he and the others ganged up on you when those robbers came and took hostages in the hotel."

Ethan remembered that and how much of a nightmare it had been because no one else would take responsibility after Charlie got dinged on the shoulder. Trapped inside there had been Claire and George…and Amelia. She'd put aside her own fear at the danger she faced to take care of them. It'd only been later when he found out from Claire what she faced and the surviving outlaws were damn lucky to be in custody before he found out.

Damn he had to stop thinking about her and focus on the woman in front of him who might just be his wife soon.

"The federal marshals came in and took over," he said, "It turned out good."

"You're a very brave man to do the job that few men want," she said, "Keeping the people here safe must take a lot of your time."

"Not all of it…there's slow periods too when the outlaws are all someplace else and I can spend more time with the children."

She sipped her drink thoughtfully.

"Yes, but you need a mother for them don't you?"

He bristled at that still not agreeing with the judge's decision but what else could he do?

"I do…it's the best thing for them better than them being sent off to live with strangers."

Edwina shook her head.

"That wouldn't be right since you're their own kin," she said, "Your sister must have had a lot of faith in you to trust you with them."

He sighed.

"She didn't have much time when she took sick," he said, "Besides she'd practically raised me."

"I'd say she did a good job," Edwina said, "Mr. Cord…"

"Ethan…"

"Ethan…I know this isn't easy for you…to choose between the two of us," she said, "and if your heart's not into it…"

He interrupted her.

"I am serious about picking a wife," he said, "Yes it's about doing what's best for the children but I can care and provide for my wife."

Edwina pursed her lips.

"Can you love her?"

He'd been waiting for that question to be asked but hoped it'd be a while before he had to face it. But he knew that the woman in front of him deserved the truth.

"I don't know about that but I will take care of her."

She nodded slowly.

"The two can be mutually exclusive…and I'm not looking for either really. Perhaps love like most things that truly matter will come with time."

"Maybe…"

He couldn't promise her anything. Love, all that had done was gotten him hurt though he wouldn't have traded the experience of loving a woman for anything. It just hadn't worked out, that's all. Amelia had loved him in return but had chosen herself over them. He'd been hurt at the time, more so than he'd admit to anyone including himself but he'd moved past that.

"Like I said, I'm not expecting like that Ethan," she said, "I've just always wanted a home. I wound up on an orphan train after my parents died in a wagon accident. A childless couple took me in but they wanted a ranch hand not a daughter."

Ethan had heard stories similar to that one having been involved with orphans that had rode the rails to Paradise. He and…no, he had to stop thinking about his past with her and focus on his present with getting a wife.

Or at least try harder at it.

* * *

"Amelia?"

For the second time that day, she reacted to the mention of her name. Charlie looked shocked to see her as he approached. She smiled at him slowly.

"Hello Charlie…haven't seen you in a while."

He frowned at her rather than smiled.

"What are you doing in town?"

She felt a bit taken aback by his tone enough to proceed carefully with the deputy.

"I'm here on business," she said, "Not sure how long."

"Does Ethan know?"

She blinked her eyes.

"No…I haven't seen or talked to him yet. I just got here several days ago and have been so wrapped up in business."

He sighed.

"Amelia, you're wanted for kidnapping," he said, "We got posters of you in the office."

She narrowed her eyes.

"What…you can't be serious Charlie…"

He didn't budge.

"I sure am…thought it had to be some sort of mistake…Ethan sure thought that."

Damn, she thought.

"He knows about it?"

"Course he does. He's the marshal after all. He gets all the posters and wires and some man named Carlton's been sending some about you kidnapping his wife."

She rubbed her hands together.

"It's not true Charlie…Miranda…"

"You know here then?"

Amelia nodded.

"She's not been kidnapped. That's not what's been going on. She's in trouble, she and her baby…"

Charlie nodded.

"He mentioned his child was involved."

"Did he mention he'd abused his own wife and she wanted to leave him?"

Charlie didn't say anything at first then then shook his head.

"Nothing about that…but how do I know you're not making it up?"

She harrumphed.

"Charlie…you know me. You don't know him."

He folded his arms.

"I don't know you since you left town and I'll have to check it out but in the meantime, I'm going to have to take you to jail."

She widened her eyes.

"You can't be serious…"

"I don't like it but I got a job to do Amelia…you know that."

She sighed.

"Then I have to do what I need to do too."

She took off running and he thought about running after her but instead he headed to the saloon where he knew he'd find Ethan.

He just had to come up with a way to explain to his boss that the woman he almost married might have turned into an outlaw.

Ethan looked up where he sat with Edwina when Charlie raced into the saloon.

"What is it Charlie?"

His deputy so didn't want to say the words.

"Amelia's in town and when I tried to arrest her she just took off."


	19. Chapter 19

Ethan widened his eyes unable to believe what he just heard. Amelia was in town and she knew she was a wanted woman?

"Where is she?"

Charlie sighed.

"She took off running when I confronted her," he said, "She must be guilty."

"Maybe not…maybe there's a lot more to this story than we're being told," Ethan said, "Amelia's not a lawbreaker."

Charlie scratched the back of his neck.

"She broke into a couple prisons to get you out," he said, "and she's killed a couple men."

"In self-defense or when protecting my niece and nephews," Ethan said, "She must be doing that here with Miranda and her baby."

"You sure about that? Sure she's the same woman you almost married?"

Maybe not the same one, Ethan thought but she'd do anything to help those she cared about or anyone in trouble for that matter. Amelia had always hated seeing people getting bullied or taken advantage of by more powerful people. That's how she ran her bank, giving out loans to people when another banker called in their notes on their properties. If he hadn't been in love with her already…but he couldn't remember those times he had to focus on the here and now.

That he was the town marshal and Amelia was the subject of a wanted poster. In order to do his job, he had to go find her and bring her in…until someone from Virginia City could come and pick her up to take there until the circuit judge appeared to hear her case.

He didn't want to do it…but then if he didn't another person, a bounty hunter or posse might go looking for her and what if they decided not to bring her back alive?

"Ethan we got to go find her and she's already got a head start."

He focused back on his deputy.

"What direction was she heading?"

"Back to her old house…but she's got a horse there Ethan so she's probably rode out of town by now."

Ethan looked over at Edwina who looked lost at what was happening in front of her.

"I'm sorry…but I got to go handle it"

She nodded.

"Go ahead…if we get married…I better be used to it."

He couldn't argue with her about that certainly not right now. He left her and he and Charlie headed back to where Amelia had been living before she'd left town. The house looked dark and he figured she'd already left by now.

Part of him hoped she had taken off but not the part of him that missed her so much.

* * *

Amelia looked out of the curtain and saw the two men standing there. Damn, Ethan and Charlie were probably waiting for her to walk outside and surrender. She knew she couldn't ever do that…not while Miranda was out there waiting to be moved to a safer place. Amelia didn't plan to keep her very long in Paradise.

She had to find a town further away or a larger city where Miranda and the baby could just disappear ut she wasn't there yet.

The back door would lead straight where she kept the horse tied up. She just had to get some things and head on out there while they waited in the front.

Then while she went to grab her handguns, she heard the floorboards on her stairs creak and finally a knock on the door.

"Amelia…you there?"

That was Charlie's voice not Ethan and that's when she knew that he must be heading around the side of the house. Damn him, but then she couldn't fault him for wanting to do his job. As far as he was concerned as a marshal, her face had appeared on a wanted poster. He couldn't let their past together interfere with his duties. He'd always taken his job so damn seriously…she wouldn't expect any less from him.

She grabbed a satchel and crept towards the back of the house. After slowly opening the door, she looked around and didn't see him so she went to fetch her horse. Luckily the horse was tacked up already.

After adjusting the saddle strap, she heard him approach behind her and she froze.

"Amelia…where you going?"

She didn't look at him…it'd be too damn hard to do that and not stick to the plan. She was going to have to get on that horse and ride away from him and he wasn't going to like that.

"Amelia answer me," he said, "there's a poster with your face on it and I want to know why."

She sighed still not facing him.

"You know why….it says kidnapping on it," she said, "I kidnapped a woman and her husband's using his position of power to come after me…not himself of course but the law."

"I know what he said you did. I want to hear it from you."

She turned to face him then and took in the man who'd looked much like he did when she last saw him. Too damn handsome for his own good and a man who could make any woman weak in the knees.

"Why….?"

"Because I know you and you're not an outlaw."

She reached for her horse.

"You might not get to decide that but I know you have to do your job."

"Amelia…"

She got on her horse in one quick movement.

"I've got to do what I need to do too," she said, "Get out of my way."

He didn't move and she knew he had to try and stop her. She tugged on the horse's reins to maneuver around him.

"I can't…"

She looked at him directly.

"I know…"

She spurred her horse to a gallop and rode away from him leaving him standing there.

* * *

Ethan watched her go, his mind trying to process what happened. First seeing her again after all these months and then the two of them being on opposite sides of the law.

So it appeared but he still knew there had to be more to it than appeared. Because he knew her. The fact that they'd broken up months ago didn't change that.

"Did she take off?"

He looked up to see Charlie approach him and nodded.

"Better get the horses then and try to give chase…"

They both walked back to where they tied up their horses and Stella was standing nearby.

"I heard that there was a ruckus," she said, "and you left Edwina alone in the restaurant."

Ethan untied his horse.

"Couldn't be helped…got to track someone down."

She nodded.

"Will you be back soon?"

He got aboard his horse.

"Hope so…never can tell with these types of situations"

He'd just told the second woman in under an hour that they'd have to face the unpredictable nature of his job to be married to him. In a manner of speaking…but at least they'd been warned. It had driven one fiancée away from him already.

Only she'd come back and now he was giving chase. Life certainly could mess with a man's head.

"I'll see you later," she said, "We're still on for breakfast tomorrow?"

He sighed.

"I don't know…if I'm back by then yes…"

"And if not…I can handle myself…practice being married to the town marshal."

Ethan thought they were hardly at that point yet as he and Charlie rode out of town in search of Amelia.


	20. Chapter 20

Stella walked into the store where she saw Claire standing there behind the counter. The younger woman looked up at her.

"May I help you with something?"

Stella sighed walking towards the section where there was some hairbrushes and combs. Hardly fancy of course but suitable for a woman stuck in a dusty mining town like this one. She fingered some of the clips that she hoped would be suitable for her hair. She knew that Ethan had ridden out of town in a flash to go chase after a wanted fugitive. It was his job to do so after all as the town marshal.

It's just in this case the fugitive also happened to be the woman he almost married a year ago. Amelia, the woman that she and Edwina had shared the stagecoach with on the way here. She hadn't believed back then that the woman would ever pose a threat to her as a rival for Ethan's affections. No, she had believed, she still had to believe that whatever had been between them had ended the moment that Amelia walked out on him.

Ethan must have his pride after all and a man as sumptuous as him would find other women to appreciate his…attributes. But she felt a bit concerned anyway…that any rekindling of old flames on one side or the other might ruin her plans to land herself a husband. She hadn't ever really worried about her known rival Edwina thinking her a lightweight but Amelia…now she could pose a serious threat.

"You need any help?"

Stella looked up at the woman she knew would be her stepdaughter of sorts and smiled. She had to make nice with Ethan's niece and nephews to win this contest. She'd figure out how to handle them after the wedding. There were boarding schools for young girls and military academies for boys and she would make sure that Ethan learned of them. After all, the best thing he could do for the children would be to educate them, instill some discipline in them in another city. Then she and Ethan would be alone together…without any distractions.

"I'm fine really…just looking for some ornamental clips for my lovely hair," she said, "It's difficult to style with all this…dust flying around but I want to look pretty for your uncle."

Claire smiled.

"Oh Uncle Ethan…he likes pretty women but he's more concerned with what's in a person's heart. That's the way to win him."

Stella narrowed her eyes but the girl sounded serious.

"Uh…thanks but I've been dealing with men awhile and I know that the packaging does matter," she said, "You see I really like him…I did on sight and I'd like to get to know him better."

Claire wrote some figures in the ledger.

"You're spending time with him right?"

Stella nodded.

"Then you'll get to know him then," she said, "He's pretty straight forward about what he likes and doesn't like right down to meals."

"I gather…we were supposed to go to breakfast tomorrow at the hotel but he's chasing a fugitive right now with his deputies."

Claire shrugged.

"That's his job….better get used to it like we did."

"It's his ex-fiancée Amelia he's chasing."

Claire widened her eyes obviously surprised by that news.

"Oh wow…that must be some misunderstanding. Ms Lawson's a very honest law abiding woman…I don't know why he'd be chasing her."

"Well he is and he's going to catch her."

Claire shook her head.

"Poor Uncle Ethan…he loved her so much you know."

"So I heard but that's all in the past," Stella said, "Now he's got a job to do."

"He's going to wind up helping her…because this has all got to be some big mistake…"

Stella sighed, knowing that's what worried her.

* * *

Amelia rode hard down the main road until it turned off in several directions. She opted for the mountainous road to get her to the next valley where she'd meet with her contact. She knew that time was of the essence…especially with Ethan on her tail.

It'd been a shock to finally see him at her house. But she wouldn't surrender to him not when lives depended on it. Miranda and the baby would be back at the mercy of Carlton if she didn't make it over to the meeting place. If only she'd had time to explain it to Ethan but she didn't…he'd take too much time asking all kinds of questions and their history would get in the way. She'd hurt him and knew that too but she couldn't worry about that right now.

She looked behind her as she spurred her horse onward. She didn't see him but she knew better than to think she'd lost him. No one tracked outlaws and fugitives better than him and she knew he considered her both right now. The world had gotten so complicated since she'd traveled to Virginia City and met up with Miranda and Carlton. A powerful man who turned out to be far different than appeared and the pretty wife at his side…had terror hidden behind her eyes.

No she couldn't let anything happen to the people who depended on her now…the woman who'd helped her when she needed it.

So she rode even faster.

* * *

Ethan and Charlie had ridden hard once they'd gotten on their horses leaving Paradise to go find Amelia. Damn though she'd gotten a head start and he still had no idea what she'd done. She knew the wanted posters and wires from Virginia City didn't tell the whole truth…maybe none of it. But she wasn't there to tell him otherwise. When confronted by Charlie and him, she'd fled out the back door on her horse.

He thought of all the ways she might come back into town and into his life, of all the words he might say to her…but nothing like what happened. She'd been so damn beautiful even more so than the image etched in his heart. His heart had felt squeezed when he first lay eyes on her but he had a job to do so he pushed all of that down deep where it couldn't hurt him.

Charlie and he pulled up their horses when they hit the fork in the road not knowing which way to go. Then he pointed to what looked like fresh hoof prints and they both took off again

He knew he had to find her before anyone else did…part of him upset with how she'd shown up in town without telling him and the part of him that had missed her so damn much…no he couldn't ever let that side show.

When he found her, he had to take her in and get to the bottom of it. He wouldn't send her to Virginia City until he got to the bottom of it at least.

But to do that he had to find her first.


	21. Chapter 21

Edwina just shook her head at Stella's reasoning on Ethan's departure.

"He's got a job to do," Stella had said, "I understand that and if I'm going to marry him…"

Edwina tilted her face.

"That's not set in stone yet. He hasn't made his choice."

Stella just shrugged and picked up her tea cup. They were both seated at the restaurant enjoying some scones that Scotty had just pulled out of the oven, a brand new recipe from England.

"Yeah whatever…but his duties will always come first and so if you can't handle that…"

Edwina rolled her eyes.

"Who said I can't? You're the one who paced for 20 minutes before I suggested going to tea to settle down."

Stella arched her brows.

"Oh really…I'm doing just fine…he and I, there's this connection between us already that defies all reason! I'm not a romantic but I can see the appeal of such for some women like you…almost. But this is strictly business."

"So you don't love him?"

Stella leaned across the table.

"Do you?"

Edwina seemed unprepared for that question and grabbed her napkin to dab at her mouth.

"I…we…there hasn't been enough time yet," she said, "but he's very nice and genteel for a town marshal…I didn't expect such in a rustic place but I think we'll grow towards a place of deep affection for one another."

Stella didn't look thrilled. She hadn't really viewed the other woman as serious competition for Ethan. She might have to change that thought. She sipped her tea again thoughtfully, planning all the while because she intended to win this contest and have her future set in a much better place than what she left. She didn't begrudge Edwina's interest in doing the same but she'd have to settle for a train ticket back to where she came from.

* * *

Claire shook her head as she nibbled one of Scotty's prized scones. Mary had been standing with her after checking on some orders. The traffic was light right now at the restaurant so she'd been rinsing some glasses at the bar.

"I don't know what they are saying but I don't see Uncle Ethan marrying either one of them."

Mary shrugged.

"A man will do what he has to do to get what he wants and Ethan must have his reasons."

Claire sighed.

"It's because of us he has to marry. Some judge told him he'd lose us to another family unless he provided a mother figure for us."

Mary furrowed her brow.

"Makes some sense though not a lot of it. Ethan's the best parent to his own kin even though his job keeps him busy."

"I know…but we all pitch in where we can. It's what families do after all."

Mary nodded.

"True…families can change…why I remember when Huckleberry came to us…but it can get complicated."

Claire knew all about that but she knew that her uncle had provided everything they needed no matter what. He might not always be at home when he was out tracking fugitive or so busy with his marshaling that he had to stay in town for days but…she would run the household when he wasn't there just fine.

"I just wish that if he got married it could have been to Ms Lawson but she left us all."

Claire hadn't been happy about that but over time, her feelings had softened a bit. She knew that her uncle tried the will of most people in one way or another. She knew that Amelia had cared for them…even risked her life for the children more than once including when Ethan had accidently shot her instead of George.

Mary picked up a scone and bit into it.

"We'll just have to wait and see what he does decide but it'll be out of love or all of you."

Claire knew that and that's what scared her.

* * *

Amelia arrived at the barn still not seeing anyone tailing her but she knew Ethan was better at that than anyone else. Saved her life a time or two like when she'd been kidnapped by the band of out laid off miners who'd ambushed them at their campsite. He'd barely been able to stay on his horse or stand from being beaten up but it hadn't stopped him from finding her.

Now she just needed him not to find her. She might have thought about asking for his help earlier but this…now that she was a fugitive. It wasn't going to work out very well.

She didn't see any horses tied up but knew they were probably out of sight. Her contact didn't want to be seen either. So she walked slowly into the barn, the doors creaking and the light from outside clearing away some of the darkness causing it to retreat into the shadows. She still didn't see anyone so she walked along the side where there were deserted stalls.

Where was he anyway? The man who was supposed to direct her where to send Miranda and her baby far enough away so her husband wouldn't find her.

Then she got to the last stall and what she saw nearly made her scream. The body of the man laid curled up in the confined space, the faded straw drenched with blood.

* * *

Ethan and Charlie rode up and Ethan saw what looked like Amelia's horse tied up. She must have gone into the barn he thought, and he gestured Charlie to halt and both slid off of their horses. They kept their hands on their holstered guns in case there was trouble waiting. Amelia wasn't a threat to anyone but something had brought her here and that something made the hairs on the back of Ethan's neck stand up.

Something just wasn't right about this place.

"We better go in nice and slow."

Charlie nodded so they went to do that until they reached the barn door which was ajar. Ethan slid inside falling into shadow and Charlie behind him as suddenly they started hearing a man's voice.

* * *

Amelia looked up at the sound of creaking wood and got away from the dead body. She had knelt to check it for signs of life and found none…yet it looked like a fresh kill so that meant…

Her heart squeezed in her chest at the thought that the killer might be still around…even in the barn hiding.

"There you are…"

She turned around and saw the figure emerge with the gun.

"I thought I'd find you here meeting this traitor," the man said, "no accounting for who gets hired these days…the boss definitely won't be happy about that."

Amelia just stared at him.

"You…you killed him…"

"Necessary considering he's a kidnapper just like you," the man said, "the man you're aiding and abetting so now the question is what to do about you."

He tightened his hold on the gun which aimed at her. She knew he'd pull the trigger without hesitation and she'd be lying dead next to the man just killed.

Too soon for her life to end before…images flashed in front of her of…regrets intermingled with the happiest moments. Damn, it couldn't just end like this in an abandoned barn with no witnesses. No she had to stop her own death.

Then both of them heard a noise behind them.


	22. Chapter 22

Amelia flashed back to the last time she'd seen him. She'd gotten on the stagecoach which would take her away from him and Paradise. Maybe as long as forever…she didn't know at that point…she just knew she had to leave at once. Before…

She couldn't have ever married him because if she did and she lost him…she'd lose herself forever in a man who'd become a corpse to be buried along with all her hopes and dreams. No, she couldn't face that kind of future. So she'd told him goodbye as soon as he'd recovered enough to hear it.

He'd gotten smaller as the coach drove further and further down the dusty main strip to the road that would lead out of town through the valley and then up into the foothills. Her heart squeezed in her chest, her hands clammy because a huge part of her wanted to run back to him or have him run after her.

But she'd told him not to do that. She had told him just to let he go. Now she'd returned to Paradise and he knew it. She'd run away from him again…no not really she'd simply ridden off to meet her contact who now lay dead in the straw.

"Why shouldn't I kill you now?"

She just looked at him and the gun pointed at her, the one which would be used to kill her. And then what would happen to Miranda and the baby if she were to die? They'd be completely helpless and at the mercy of Carlton and his followers.

"You never find them if you do…Carlton will never see them again."

The man paused but his gun didn't waver.

"Do you even know where they are?"

She folded her arms.

"Their location will die with me," she said, "and then what will you tell your boss?"

The man looked uncertain.

"I…you better tell me or I will kill you."

She sighed.

"That seems to defeat your purpose doesn't it? I'm never going to tell you so you might as well go back to Carlton and tell him that."

The man gritted his teeth.

"I think I'll get some pleasure out of shooting you."

Amelia thought he just might and she looked around for an escape route. She had no intention of dying at his hands or anyone else's.

"I'm not saying anything…"

The man looked like he was going to pull the trigger and shoot her.

"He'll track down that traitorous wife of his without you…"

His hand pressed on the trigger and she braced herself…not knowing what to do or where to run. You couldn't outrun a bullet but maybe you could dodge one.

"Drop the gun…."

Amelia looked up and saw him standing there dressed in his marshal outfit and pointing his own gun at the man. She glanced at the door and saw Charlie standing there aiming his gun as well. Two against one, she thought and that gave the man some pause.

"I said drop it…"

He aimed the gun now at Ethan and Amelia knew that this man would shoot him in the blink of an eye. She wasn't about to let that happen.

"No…."

She grabbed his arm after lunging forwards and the gun fired. Something whizzed past her but she felt a stinging in her side. Had she been hit? It didn't feel like it so she just dodged him again and when he tried to raise his gun again, she tried to grab him.

Ethan ran over and pointed his own gun at him.

"Drop it…or I'll shoot you…if you move…"

The man grimaced at him.

"Who are you?"

"The marshal…I'm the law in these parts."

The man didn't look too impressed.

"I'm the law in Virginia City and I was told to come here and get Ms Lawson here."

Amelia looked at Ethan who didn't back away from him.

"You got some proof you're who you say you are?"

The man just stared and Amelia knew the answer to that question. Ethan paused.

"That's what I thought," he said, "You best get back on your horse and head back to Virginia City and your boss there and let me straighten this out."

The man shook his head.

"She broke the law…she's got to pay back in Virginia City."

"Where's your proof of that," Ethan said, "Now you run along now and I'll wire you when I get to the bottom of what's going on."

The man didn't look happy but he holstered his gun and then shook his head.

"You'll be hearing from my boss and he's a very powerful man to cross."

Ethan smiled.

"I'll look forward to it. Give him my regards."

The man scowled as he walked past Charlie outside the barn. Amelia tilted her face and looked up at him.

"Get to the bottom of what?"

His mouth quirked.

"Why you returned to Paradise," he said, "You better tell me Amelia."

She crossed her arms, wincing a bit at a pain in her side. But she focused on him, he looked too damn fine in his clothes and she found herself remembering what it was like to be totally lost in his gaze…what it was like when she traced the lines of his face with her fingers…when…

Her throat felt dry and she had to stop right there. He might be her ex-fiancé but he was the marshal after all.

"Tell you what Ethan? I came back to conduct business."

He pursed his lips…the same ones that…oh it was suddenly feeling warm in the barn.

"The kind that's done on the wrong side of a pistol?"

She sighed knowing that he had her there and she wanted to tell him but…Miranda's life and that of her baby depended on what Amelia did every step of the way…and the last step had nearly gotten her killed.

"What are you doing with this man's body?"

Ethan looked down at the dead guy.

"Who is he anyway?"

She paused.

"You might as well tell me Amelia because I'm going to be on you like a tick on a mule until you tell me."

She rubbed the back of her neck.

"Okay…he's my contact…he was supposed to give me an update on our plan."

Charlie walked on over and knelt in front of the dead guy looking for identification of any type then up at Ethan.

"Nothing…but the boots are nice."

Amelia looked down at them.

"Custom made…he was a merchant…since he fought in the war," she said, "He's the brother of…"

Ethan interrupted.

"Miranda?"

She blinked her eyes at him.

"How did you know?"

He studied her face as if trying to deal with his own memories but whatever they'd shared…it had to stay in the past. Feelings had a way of being awfully dangerous at the wrong time.

"Carlton from Virginia City, he's looking for her and the baby," he said, "Your name came up and your picture on a poster."

She looked down at her hands.

"I know but…it's not what he claims Ethan…"

"Then what is it? What's going on here Amelia and why did I have to practically chase you to get it out of you?"

She narrowed her eyes.

"You haven't gotten anything…and you won't until you promise that they'll be safe from him."

He sighed.

"Amelia I don't know the whole story yet and until then…"

She turned away from him.

"Then you won't be getting anything from me," she said, "So if you…ow…."

He had brushed her waist and she avoided him.

"You okay?"

Concern etched all over his face when before there'd been reproach. Damn the marshal who shared the same body with the man.

"I'll be fine as soon as I figure out what to do next."

She walked right past him out of the barn leaving him silent with Charlie still kneeling beside the body of the man who was her link to Miranda.


	23. Chapter 23

Stella clicked her fingers on the table. Where the hell was he anyway? He'd said something about meeting up with her but he hadn't shown up. She'd worn a brand new blue dress with ruffles, maybe too fancy for the only restaurant in this rustic town but she wanted to look nice for him. Edwina couldn't get the jump on her when it came to winning Ethan over.

No, she had to win him. She had to marry him and move in with him, taking care of the children until she could talk him into sending them away to school. The two of them would be alone and he'd still have money left to spend on her.

What she hadn't said anything about was that she owed money. She'd borrowed it to try to open a new shop about two towns ago but instead…despite her best intentions the money had been spent on a man.

Kane Rawlings, who'd swept her off her feet and professed to be heir to a fortune or wait, had that been Stewart…she couldn't keep them straight but they'd all burned her and left her high and dry…and more broke.

But of all the men who'd worn her out with promises, Kane had been the worst and that had led to a collector trying to find her to get the money she borrowed…which she no longer possessed.

Ethan would help her she just knew it. She'd ask him after they returned from the most glorious of honeymoons where she'd make him fell all man and he'd be putty in her hands giving her what she needed.

That sounded like a plan. But where the hell was he now and why hadn't he shown up?

"Uncle Ethan not here yet?"

Stella looked up and saw Claire looking at her, her mouth pursed as if in reproach. She didn't like this one…the oldest of them who had run the house for her uncle and perhaps resented any interlopers. Well she'd just have to get used to the fact that soon enough Ethan would have a wife which would be her and Claire wouldn't have as much a say in anything. Before she knew it, she'd be shipped off to a finishing school in Stockton or better yet…San Francisco.

The further away the better.

"He's just running a little late that's all. He's out on marshal business."

Claire nodded.

"He's out looking for Mrs. Lawson," she said, "I don't know what she's doing back in town but when he found out…"

Stella sniffed.

"Strictly business I'm sure."

"Of course…he'll find her and bring her back here."

Stella narrowed her eyes.

"She abandoned him you know…when things got a little tough."

Claire shrugged.

"She didn't want to lose my uncle…if he died from getting shot. I don't blame her…it must be hard to fall in love and see someone nearly die in front of you."

Stella harrumphed.

"He doesn't need to worry about that anymore. I'll be the perfect wife for him."

"You haven't been chosen yet," Claire said, "and maybe it won't be either of you."

Stella refused to consider that.

"You can't mean….her!"

Claire just looked back at her a hint of a smile on her face. Was this young girl mocking her now?

"My uncle loved her once," she said, "and I think he still does."

Stella groaned.

"I hardly think that he'll want to risk getting abandoned again," she said, "I'd never do that to him. Even Edwina wouldn't do that even though she has no chances of winning favor with him."

Claire shrugged again.

"We shall see…but the way he took after her today…"

"Just doing his job as the marshal…I wouldn't read anything more into it."

She tried to appear nonchalant but deep inside of her, she wondered if Claire might be right.

* * *

Charlie had said he'd see to the dead body and Ethan went after Amelia who headed to her horse. As she got up on it, she winced.

"Amelia…"

She tugged the reins shorter.

"What Ethan? I'm heading back to town to figure out what to do. Miranda's brother is dead and I need to make sure she's safe."

"Why don't you let me help you?"

She just stared at him knowing it'd just tear him up to have the marshal side of him compete with the man she'd almost married. Ethan believed in what he did and took it seriously. She could never ask him to break the law for her even if it was not a just law.

"It's too complicated to explain," She said, "I need to get back to town now."

He reached for his own horse.

"Then let me go with you."

"What about Charlie?"

Ethan glanced back at the barn.

"He'll handle the body…we'll have to wire Virginia City though I suspect the guy who hightailed it out of here just now will tell his boss first."

She sighed.

"He's a hired hit man for Carlton though I can't prove it."

"Maybe I can help you there too."

"Ethan…I don't want you to compromise your position…."

He gave her one of those looks that made her feel exposed in a way not very comfortable. She had to be very careful with him…not to give anything away.

"Let me help you," he said, "if Carlton's a danger to his wife, she's got some rights."

Amelia chuckled derisively.

"Precious few…you've never been a wife Ethan…you don't know what it's like."

"I dare say not being unmarried…"

"Being a man Ethan. When I was married to Pierce, he owned everything. I had nothing of my own on paper whatsoever even the bank that I built up."

"You wound up owning it didn't you?"

She nodded but she didn't have to explain to him how difficult it had been for her, the travails she had to struggle through to reach that point.

"Look I'll ride back with you," he said, "Someone nearly killed you and that's bound to keep you off balanced and shouldn't head back alone."

She smiled.

"I remember the first time you used that argument and wound up telling me that you saw me bathing in the lake."

His face flushed a bit and she knew he remembered that night he'd driven her home after she'd been so shaken up by shooting a young bank robber.

"You still went to the lake didn't you?"

Now she felt a bit off guard.

"I wasn't going to give the only freedom I had up because some man didn't have the decency to…."

He put up his hand.

"Okay Amelia…let's just head on back and I promise I won't bring it up again."

She had to smile at his earnestness. She'd missed moments like this with him but she knew a lot had changed…he was trying to decide which of two women to marry right now.

He had moved on with his life and she needed to accept that and do what she needed to do to protect her friend. But as she rode back to Paradise with him, she wondered about what could have been.


	24. Chapter 24

"So when you going to tell me what just happened back there?"

They'd gotten off their horses at her house after riding back into town. She'd wanted to go home and figure out what to do next now that her contact, Miranda's brother was dead. Someone must have found out what they'd been up to, someone like Carlton.

She looked up at him.

"Ethan I can't…not if you're dead set on making this official," she said, "If you're going to take me in as some kind of outlaw…I'm going to have to keep quiet."

He set his jaw.

"What if I don't? What if I'm just asking informally?"

Damn the man when he looked at her like that. She'd melt in that gaze if she weren't careful. Ethan was a very dangerous man in more ways than one. He could shoot a man dead without blinking if necessary and he could outthink even the most determined and wily of outlaws.

What he could do to a woman should be illegal.

Her body definitely remembered what it felt like when he ran his hands over it right before he kissed her…no she had to remember how much everything had changed and who needed her right now. Besides he was trying to get himself married off right now and she couldn't get mixed up in that.

"I'm trying to help Miranda…and her child. Carlton's not very happy about that."

"Did he hurt her?"

Amelia paused.

"Depends on what you mean by that Ethan."

She started heading to the house and he followed her. She looked at him as she walked up the steps.

"Don't you have to meet with one of your wives…I mean prospective wives."

He stood next to her as she opened her door to go inside.

"Dinner with one of them…but you still haven't answered my question."

She sighed.

"That man who was killed is her brother. He and I are trying to make sure that she and the baby are safe."

"Safe from who?"

She gave him a pointed look.

"Who do you think?"

"Carlton…so he did hurt her then and she wanted to leave him?"

She moved to the cabinet.

"I'm having some scotch would you like some?"

He nodded and she went to pour him a glass. She wanted to clean herself up and then go to the restaurant to get something to eat. But she had to deal with him and his questions. She knew she could use his help but not if he ramrod her with it.

Miranda didn't trust any man even a lawman.

He took the scotch and sipped it. She swallowed a good deal from her own glass. Things had not gone well today and now she had to scramble and think what to do next.

"A man just died and that could have been you."

She heard the concern laced in his voice but she bristled at it. She didn't want to need anyone least of all him.

"It wasn't me and that man worked for Carlton."

"I'll see if I can find out more about him when I call Virginia City."

She just nodded as he finished up his Scotch.

"Carlton's a very powerful man who surrounds himself with hired thugs," she said, "He'll send more of them here if he thinks that she's hiding."

"I can deal with them but what about you?"

She just looked at him, putting her glass down.

"What about me? I can take care of myself. Listen, if you find out anything…please let me know."

He nodded.

"You tell me what you're up to next and I'll tell you what I find out, deal?"

She didn't know how to say no to that and she wasn't stupid. If Carlton's men were planning to murder their way into finding Miranda, she needed her own gun.

"You'd better go…I imagine the woman you've got waiting for you isn't very happy right now."

He grimaced and she idly wondered how that the whole finding himself a wife deal was going right now.

"Ethan…"

He turned around to look at her on his way to the door.

"What?"

"Thanks…"

* * *

Surely enough Stella didn't look too pleased when Ethan finally entered the restaurant. Claire was there talking with Mary and smiled at her uncle.

"She's waiting in the dining area and doesn't look too happy. Better go make it right with her."

He walked in there and sat at the table across from Stella.

"Ethan…I've been here for over an hour. I know you're busy with work but if you could get word to me."

He sighed, spreading out his napkin.

"I had a man get shot to death right in front of me," he said, "Charlie and Dakota are with him at the jail getting ready to put him on ice for a pickup."

She grimaced obviously perturbed by the news.

"Oh…well let's eat then and talk about something else more suitable."

He nodded and she seemed to relax.

"I was thinking if there was a theater here we could go to a show…"

He glanced outside the window onto the quiet street. Not much going on tonight even at the saloon. He figured Amelia had decided to stay at home after the excitement. Sitting at her dining room table having a meal she cooked or in the parlor by the fireplace. He remembered the quiet evenings they had spent together there…nights too. Having her back living in the same town again would definitely be interesting.

"Ethan…did you hear what I just said?"

His eyes blinked and he saw the woman in front of him again. He remembered what he had to do for the children to keep them in his house. He had to focus on that.

"You were talking about Paradise needing a theater?"

She brightened up.

"Yes…or we can always pack up and move…to Reno or San Francisco."

He shook his head.

"Paradise is my home," he said, "The children love living here…got friends. John Taylor…others."

She sighed.

"And you have your fiancée back in town again."

"Ex-fiancée and she's busy with her own life."

She smiled at him.

"I should hope so. She really wasn't right for you, you know. No wonder you two didn't make it to the altar. But I will make you a perfect wife Ethan…if you pick me."

He tried to focus on her and what she wanted…what he needed but that suddenly had become very difficult.

* * *

Amelia had missed her bath tub even though getting it ready to use could be a bit of a chore. She needed a good soak after getting some food to eat. She had cleaned herself up after settling into the tub.

Damn, she'd noticed soon enough that the bullet had grazed her side, leaving it a bit raw but not much bleeding. She wiped it clean and thought it all right…and in fact barely felt it.

She wondered about Ethan sitting in the restaurant with one of the women who were trying out to be his wife. A tough job she thought and hoped they knew what they were getting into with him. She didn't miss being engaged to him…really she didn't which made sense because they'd broken up. But then it hadn't been about love…it had just proven that love hadn't been enough.

Stop thinking about him, she told herself. She had enough to deal with trying to figure out how to help Miranda…she couldn't afford to think about let alone remember what it'd been like to be in love with him.


	25. Chapter 25

Amelia had blushed right in the tub when she remembered what it'd been not to be alone in it. Wrapped up in the slippery, warmth of a man who loved nothing more than sponging her back with the suds while he whispered sweet words in her ear. The man was a romantic who didn't know it and she hadn't known until him what that really meant. Pierce had his own collection of sweet words but they'd left her empty when she'd grown up enough to realize that they simply allowed him to keep so much from her.

She'd been a young bride and when it came to all that came with it including the more intimate parts, she'd been overwhelmed. There hadn't been anyone to talk to…no mother figure in her life only the housekeeper and some of the maids who knew enough to teach her not to conceive a child. She'd told Claire that once, that getting married at a younger age than Ethan's niece had been something she'd done too rashly. She wanted better for the girl to find a way to make her own living and not be dependent on a man with sweet words woven into empty promises to help her escape.

Ethan was a very physical man of action but gentle too and when it came to certain things, she'd met a whole different side of him who still made her melt if she weren't too careful. She couldn't afford it right now because she had to focus on helping Miranda.

She owed her after all for that time long ago. She'd just never expected to see her again. But she'd wanted to help her get away from Carlton without question. He'd been so damn careful to bruise his wife's body beneath the stylish dresses she wore when about town only Miranda hadn't hidden them from everyone.

After her bath, she got ready for the bed which welcomed her after the arduous day. She tried so hard not to think about him. The weight of his body that had lain next to her as she snuggled against him in ways she hadn't with her husband. Pierce hadn't ever let her get that close to him…perhaps because of the secret life he led as an unrepentant cad and con artist.

She'd checked her wound on her side, just above her waist where the bullet had nearly sliced her but it looked fine. Not like the time she'd been hit by one that came out of Ethan's gun when he'd meant to shoot an outlaw. She'd nearly died but for John Taylor and Ethan had stopped at nothing to get him even after the latest in a string of either cowardly or crooked marshals had slapped cuffs on him.

Not that she wanted to keep thinking about a man who was courting not one but two other women…if you could call it that. She knew that desperation to keep the children might be the one thing that would ever drive him to the altar.

Still, it was strange seeing him up so close…enough to touch and knowing she couldn't. Life had enough complications.

She wrapped the sheets around her after fixing her pillow to settle into sleep. She'd spent most of her earliest years camping out on the Outback beneath a whole different carpet of stars. She knew if she scanned the skies above Paradise for the Southern Cross she'd never find it.

Ethan and she had snuggled underneath the stars while spending the night together often enough. Sometimes they just needed to get away from it all to be together.

Soon enough he'd be sharing a life with either Edwina or Stella, having moved on from what he shared with Amelia.

Time to move on and really put it all behind her.

* * *

"Oh Ethan…we would be so perfect together so why should we wait?"

Ethan sighed as a perfectly beautifully built woman clung to him by the staircase that led to the hotel rooms including her own. She'd wanted him to join her, even tried to kiss him. It had caught him by surprise but she'd been persistent and for a moment there…but he'd remembered who she wasn't.

He pulled away tactfully and saw Mary looking at them a bit startled on her way to the kitchen.

"Excuse me…I didn't mean to interrupt."

Ethan glanced at her and then focused back on the siren who made her intentions on how to spend the night very clear.

"You're not one of those men who insist on waiting until we're married are you?"

No he wasn't…after all it hadn't been that way with Amelia though it'd taken them a while to find themselves in a place with privacy and without disruptions. And most importantly of all, where they didn't get in their own way. He'd never forgotten that night including right now.

"No…but this isn't right," he said, "I'm not doing this to get a good time out of it."

She pursed her lips.

"Damn right you'd have a good time and what's so wrong with that? Aren't you looking for the right wife in all areas including the marital chamber?"

That almost made his cheeks flush a bit because seriously that hadn't been on his mind at all. Not that he planned on a life of celibacy but taking care of the needs of the children was first and foremost with the rest of it hopefully falling into place.

"Stella…I'm not going upstairs with you."

"Okay then we can go to your place…it's just that it might be a bit crowded."

He sighed.

"It'll always be a bit crowded until I build a new house but that's not it. I'm looking for what's right for my niece and nephews…the rest of it…"

She bit her lip.

"I see…but Ethan it's no crime to want to get something in it for yourself. You can't be selfless all the time. It makes for a dull life."

Maybe, he thought but that wasn't the only problem. The woman he wanted wasn't standing in front of him. She was likely sleeping in another bed across town, one he'd shared but never again. He thought he'd moved past that but as John Taylor had forecast, she'd quickly made a liar out of him. Still he couldn't get distracted from what he had to do. Amelia certainly hadn't acted as if she'd wanted him back or to get married at least to him. She'd been running away from him instead.

That didn't have anything to do with the two of them but it'd been like that with her bank in the early days. When she focused on one thing, she shut everything else out.

He did want to help her though now that he knew someone had tried to kill her.

"I don't want this," he said, "You're very pretty but I'm not joining you tonight."

She didn't look too happy as he walked away back to his horse to ride it back to the ranch. He knew he had to save his family. He wished his heart didn't have to be included at the bargaining table.


	26. Chapter 26

Ethan knew he'd dodged a bullet with Stella coming onto him like that. She'd wanted him to join her in her hotel room for the night but he'd said goodbye to her. The other woman, Edwina hadn't shown him much in the way of wanting to get into his clothes but if she changed her behavior then he'd really have his hands full.

Dakota walked up to him the next morning after he'd ridden in from the ranch. Claire had gotten up and took the boys for school in the wagon but Ethan…he had a dead man waiting for him in town on ice to keep from rotting until he could be picked up later that day.

"So they picking up the dead man today?"

Ethan nodded.

"Later…I put in a wire to Virginia City that one of theirs wound up shot to death here. The brother of Miranda…"

"Wife of that Carlton character who thinks Amelia kidnapped his wife."

Oh yeah, he'd have to deal with her too. It'd been a shock to see her again and that someone had tried to kill her in the abandoned barn. She'd been every bit as beautiful as he remembered and a part of him had wanted to go back in time when they'd been together…but nearly a year had passed.

"We'll be seeing him soon no doubt."

Dakota shook his head.

"Things were slow here for a while and now they'll be picking right up. So you think the man who killed Miranda's brother is working for Carlton?"

Ethan started heading to the office. Charlie would be there after talking to the closest thing the town had to a doctor which was the barber about what exactly killed the man. Not that Ethan had any doubt because he'd stood there and watched it. But there were papers that had to be signed before the body was taken away.

"I got my suspicions. Amelia would know better but she's trying to protect Miranda and I don't know why."

"They met up during her travels?"

That seemed most likely to Ethan and he knew that when Amelia cared about people, she'd do anything to help them even risk her own life…though on the surface she didn't always show it.

"Don't know…but I'm going to find out. A man just died."

The door opened and in walked Edwina.

"Am I bothering you?"

Both men looked at her. She was dressed simply as she didn't put out the stops like Stella.

"No…what is it?"

She smiled at Ethan while gazing around at the Wanted posters on the walls and then the empty cell. The first glance she had of the work he did for a living…that would be a part of the life of the woman he married.

"I ran into Stella. She said that you two got quite…close last night."

Ethan just looked at her.

"Close….?"

Dakota smirked a bit.

"You heard the lady Ethan…Close as in…"

Ethan put a hand up.

"I get it. She and I had dinner last night. Afterward we both went our separate ways."

She looked at him confused.

"Oh…she said something about you wanting…more. Really if I knew that part of it was so important in the selection process…"

Ethan glanced sideways at Dakota who was trying not to laugh. He coughed.

"No…no it's not and we can talk about it later."

Edwina nodded and then smiled over at Dakota and Charlie who'd just entered the office.

"I see you're busy," she said, "I didn't mean to bother you."

"No bother."

"I heard someone…died. Does that happen often in Paradise?"

The three men all looked at each other. Ethan saw the concern in her eyes.

"Sometimes…but a lot of the time it's real quiet."

* * *

Stella preened in front of the mirror before she went downstairs to walk about town. She knew she had Ethan exactly where she wanted him. He'd wanted to go up the stairs with her to her room but being a gentleman…yes that had to be it. Well, she'd keep working on him to get his resolve to weaken…she knew how to deal with men after all.

Then she saw Amelia heading down the street. The other woman looked at her as they approached. Ethan's past staring at her in the face once again.

"Good morning…have you seen Ethan?"

Amelia shook her head.

"Not since yesterday. I've been very busy."

"I can imagine…I heard that Ethan had to go chasing after you."

"He has a job to do and so do I."

Stella digested that.

"He's a man who works very hard and he plays hard too."

Amelia smiled.

"That's hardly my business what he does with his life now."

Stella didn't believe her nonchalance for one second. But it was too late for Amelia now…Ethan would never take her back.

"He and I…we were quite close last night after dinner," Stella said, "He's of course a gentleman…as you know."

"Yes he can be. But he's very clear about what he wants and goes after it," Amelia said, "He's a force of nature and some women can't handle that."

"Like you?"

Amelia paused.

"I care a lot about him even still to want him to be happy," she said, "And if that's with you, that's well and good."

Stella tilted her head.

"I'm not sure I believe you," she said, "but it's best to keep the past in the past."

Amelia kept walking and Stella a step behind when Ethan walked out of the Marshal's office with Edwina. Stella's mouth formed a fine line when she saw her competition and Amelia hid a smile. Ethan looked over at her.

"Amelia…I need to talk to you."

She paused then nodded.

"About Miranda's brother and how I know him," she said, "Not much to tell…his sister needed both of us to help her and so we did."

"You've been working together?"

She nodded again.

"Miranda…I won't get into it here but no outlaw took her Ethan. She wanted to leave her husband."

"Let's go in my office then…"

She acquiesced and walked ahead of him and he followed nodding to the other women while Dakota and Charlie went to check on the body.

After sitting down in a chair, she waited for his questions. She knew it was a job he had to do and didn't blame him for that.

"So you going to tell me what was going on with Miranda and her husband?"

She paused a long moment. She still remembered her own reaction when her friend had confided on her.

"Carlton's a very powerful man," she said, "and he's very controlling with those around him including his wife."

"Did he hurt her?"

Ethan had a way of getting to the point in few words. He did in other ways as well.

"She married very young…she thought he'd take her away from her life. She worked as a scullery maid on an estate from the time she was a child. He showed up and swept her off her feet…."

"I see…"

"I know what that's like Ethan," she said, "I'd been there myself only men who can look so perfect in the eyes of young girls…well it takes time and a little growing up to see their faults."

"Like you and Pierce…"

She looked at him wondering if she'd see reproach in his eyes but he just seemed interested.

"Yes…but Pierce never hit me."

Ethan clenched his jaw.

"Carlton abused his wife?"

She tilted her face.

"Ethan you know under the law that's not possible."

He sighed, knowing that the law gave the husband every right to treat their wives as they saw fit, all property rights too which was why Amelia ran a bank her absentee husband owned.

"Did he?"

She finally nodded hearing the intent in his voice.

"He beat her bad enough to bruise her where it couldn't be seen by others," she said, "Miranda hid them well so people wouldn't talk. It'd be her fault you know."

Yes he certainly did but he didn't buy into that.

"So she left him."

"It was the baby Ethan," she said, "After her daughter was born, it got worse between her and Carlton. He used their child against her."

"So she ran away?"

Amelia didn't answer right away.

"Did she?"

She looked up at him.

"She just wants her baby to be safe. No woman deserves to be beaten like that or abused in any way by her husband…no matter what the law says."

"Agreed."

She knew that he didn't have much regard for Pierce. Begrudgingly because her ex-husband had saved him when pressured to do so by her. But it'd been Ethan who had won her freedom by getting the divorce papers signed and back to her.

Even if they hadn't married themselves. Best not to go back in the past. Ethan had two women courting him in a manner of speaking so his life had grown busy. She'd always hidden how her husband's abandonment had made her feel as a woman living alone in a town filled with men. But when she'd been shot and felt vulnerable in her aloneness…he'd spent days and some evenings making sure she had what she needed once he'd listened to her and not ridden off to Montana.

"I'll help you Amelia but you got to help me do that too…"

She just looked at him as Stella came rushing into the office.


	27. Chapter 27

"Oh Ethan, what's going on here," she said, "You've got a man who's dead now and now…her all wrapped in it."

Amelia and Ethan both looked at Stella.

"I'm not wrapped up in anything and I'm just answering some questions. You can have him back when I'm finished."

Stella's face wrinkled. Amelia just thought if she were going to get hitched with the town marshal she just better get used to their life being interrupted by his work.

"Will we have time later," she said, "I enjoyed last night's dinner so much and I know you did too."

Ethan rubbed the back of his neck. Stella shot Amelia a look before focusing back on him.

"I know what you said…about waiting and maybe you're right," she said, "It's just that you're so handsome and…"

Ethan coughed.

"I've got work to do here Stella," he said, "I'll see you later if I've got time."

Amelia smiled at both of them.

"Don't let me interrupt anything," she said, "I can come back later. I've got work to do as well."

Ethan shook his head.

"Amelia I'm not finished."

She stood up.

"It's all right," she said, "I don't want to be another reason for you to not pay attention to your personal life. I'll see you later."

Stella smiled, fingering the Wanted posters on the wall

"I didn't mean to interrupt anything between the two of you."

Amelia knew that a woman like Stella left nothing to chance and that she had her designs on him but that wasn't part of her life anymore. She had her work cut out for her just trying to come up with a new plan to help Miranda.

Somewhere safe she hoped waiting for help, not knowing her brother had been murdered. If she did find out…Amelia didn't think she'd stay hidden for long. She'd feel guilty about what happened, knowing it happened when he was trying to get her away from her husband.

Ethan turned to look at Stella.

"If you could give us a little time…"

Amelia shot him a look.

"Ethan…I just said."

"Amelia if I didn't know any better I'd be thinking you don't want to answer some questions."

She folded her arms. Why was he getting on her case now? She just wanted to get to her house and figure out her next move. Ethan had plenty to keep him busy here it seemed like judging from the sight in front of her.

Not to mention the other candidate for his wife wasn't even in the room.

"Ethan. If she wants to spend some time alone with you…."

He gritted his teeth looking irritated but she wasn't getting involved. From the way it sounded, they were doing more than just exchanging words. Ethan was a very physical man who knew how to show a woman a good time…though it'd been more than that between them. Memories flashed through her of what it'd been like to kiss him and feel totally lost with it…the feel of his hands on her skin…rough and soft at the same time. No she couldn't remember that right now, she might weaken and it served no purpose. They'd both moved on with their lives away from each other.

She just had business to do here, that was all. But it could get very hard to remember that with him there right in front of her.

"I'll leave," Stella said, "but you'd better make up for it later on at dinner."

He frowned.

"I'm meeting Edwina tonight," he said, "I had dinner with you last night."

Stella shrugged.

"Oh that…I'm sure Edwina would rather do afternoon tea with you instead."

Amelia nearly laughed. _Afternoon tea? _This could get very interesting if she had the inclination or time for it. But then maybe one of the women could do what she couldn't do and make him happy. Stella left them alone.

She looked over at him.

"So Ethan you had some questions?"

* * *

Ethan looked at the woman in front of him acting as if she had nothing to hide. But her eyes, he just knew them too damn well. Beautiful orbs into her soul which he knew as well as his own…only maybe not enough. She'd left him and it'd given him time to think…that their relationship had been lopsided.

She knew an awful lot about him more than anyone else ever did but when it came to knowing her…so much remained a mystery. She just didn't talk about herself…or her past all that much. It's not like he didn't know every inch of her body but when it came to learning more about her…she didn't seem to encourage it.

"You know I do…you've been helping Miranda…you close friends?"

She titled her face.

"You could say that," she said, "We've known each other a while."

"I gathered that."

She sighed and he knew he'd made her uncomfortable but he wanted some answers as to why she'd wound up on a wanted poster and who'd tried to kill her just yesterday.

"I told you she wanted to leave her husband," she said, "before he killed her."

"After she had the baby…."

Amelia nodded.

"I helped her bring it into the world," she said, "I was in Virginia City and her husband had just taken off somewhere…left her alone. The baby's neck…the cord got caught but she was fine."

"Must have been some experience."

He noticed something flashed in her eyes…so quickly he thought he'd imagined it.

"Yeah it was Ethan…I just want her daughter to grow up happy and healthy with her mother."

Ethan heard it in her voice and knew she believed it.

"Do you know where they are right now?"

She paused and then shook her head.

"I wanted her to hide so well no one would know where to look for her…including me but her brother…he's dead now."

"The information about her die with him didn't it?"

She nodded. He noticed that the time away had been kind to her. Her hair slightly longer, wavier. Her eyes just as lively and he remembered the taste of her mouth.

He remembered what it'd been like to say goodbye to her.

"I didn't come back to complicate your life," she said, "This is as safe place as any for someone to stay a while until she could find a place to make a fresh start."

"Is that what you did Amelia?"

She just stared at him.

"You've done well Ethan…you're a good marshal…you've got the children and you'll have a wife for yourself and a mother for them soon enough."

He remained quiet.

"I don't know if you'll understand but I never met to hurt you."

He glanced up at her and read her face again. Some sadness in her face, worry that's what she'd done but he understood now in a way he hadn't back then.

"I don't blame you for anything," he said, "I put it all on you…what I put you through that night…I can't take it back."

"I know and it's in the past," she said, "We're both in different places now. I hope whoever you choose she makes you happy….I don't know if I was ever able to do that."

"That's not true Amelia. That's not true at all…"

They heard footsteps and Charlie rushed in. Ethan knew he had some news.

"What's going on?"

"They're picking up the body," he said, "Some marshals…and they're looking for Amelia. I don't know what to say to them."

Ethan glanced at her.

"I'll handle it," he said, "No one has seen her."

Charlie looked a bit confused and then nodded before leaving. Amelia

"Why did you do that?"

He just looked at her.

"You need to get to the hotel and stay there," he said, "Get Scotty to help you…I'll take care of it on this end."

She nodded knowing not to hesitate and quickly slipped out of the office to go to the hotel.


	28. Chapter 28

Amelia went to the hotel but believed it to be unnecessary. Really she could take care of herself and besides, Ethan had his hands full with this wife hunt of his on top of his marshaling. She bumped into Mary in the hallway nearly knocking the plate of sumptuous cakes out of her hands.

"Where you off to in a hurry?"

Amelia sighed.

"Ethan wants me to hide out here for a while"

Amusement in the woman's eyes she noticed as she adjusted the tray so it wouldn't fall.

"You waiting for him? I mean he's been needing something lately," Mary noted, "It's not my place really to say what but he's been awfully tense."

Amelia rolled her eyes.

"Nothing to do with that. He's seeing two women after all. This has to do with some marshals who rode to town from Virginia City."

Mary nodded slowly not quite getting it.

"They after someone here?"

"Yeah…me."

Mary didn't look all that surprised. But then Amelia remembered being in similar predicaments.

"I won't even ask," she said, "but you're welcome to hide out here if that's what you need. I'll be discreet about it and I won't even tell Scotty."

Amelia smiled.

"Really this is all silly but Ethan insisted."

Mary smiled back.

"He does care about you an awful lot at least until you broke his heart."

Amelia didn't want to rehash her history with the man she'd almost married. She wanted to focus on helping Miranda and the baby and if she got herself locked up either here or back in Virginia City, she wouldn't be able to do that.

"I do care…that's why I don't want him involved Mary," she said, "You remember the promise that was made don't you? You know with Huckleberry."

Mary sobered up immediately.

"I do…and how Ethan helped so much and then too when that man died…"

God, Amelia remembered that time too when she and Ethan had worked together to solve the murder of the town bully. Only the direction it had led them proved to be a thorny mess with only one solution.

"He'll do right Amelia like he did for us."

"I know that but he can't get too involved," Amelia said, "not more than is necessary."

Edwina walked up to them.

"Did I miss anything? What's going on here?"

The two women glanced at each other and then at her. Amelia shook her head.

"No…Ethan's working with some marshals from out of town right now but if you have anything planned…"

Edwina shook her head.

"Oh no…it can wait…besides I'm sure Stella's made her move already."

Amelia smiled.

"She comes on a bit strong doesn't she?"

Edwina nodded.

"She's thinking this is her only way out of the debt she owes," she said, "She doesn't even love him."

Amelia wondered if either women did because to love him…would only lead to heartbreak.

Mary sighed.

"She's a bit of a hussy if you ask me," she said, "Sometimes she comes off as not much different than a saloon girl."

Edwina shook her head.

"She used to be one but she quit," she said, "She's been trying a new life but I think her old one's got a hold on her."

Mary looked at her.

"What about you? You want to marry Ethan and be a mother to the children?"

Edwina nodded.

"I've always wanted to have a family," she said, "I'd be good for him…and good to them…if only he'd pick me."

Amelia thought about the two women in competition for the same thing…wanting different things from him. But what had she wanted from Ethan? She'd wanted him to love her enough to renounce the violent of his life. That hadn't happened and she'd walked away…no she'd run but she'd done her thinking.

She couldn't begrudge him for his choices even if she didn't think she'd survive them.

"Who do you think he'll pick?"

She blinked her eyes at Edwina not believing she'd asked her that question.

"What?"

"You know him well. You almost married him didn't you?"  
Yeah, about three times but they were apart now and she had her own life to live which was in pure chaos right now.

"Do you think he'll pick Stella over me?"

Amelia shook her head.

"I don't have time for this…it's up to him after all. It's got nothing to do with me."

She walked up the stairs to hole herself up in one of the rooms out of sight.

* * *

Ethan watched Amelia as she did as he asked. The marshals would be looking for her once they picked up the dead body to take with them. He'd opened up an investigation but he didn't know much about the man except he was Miranda's sister and thus Carlton's brother in law and that someone had killed him. It didn't leave him much else to go on.

Amelia had more answers than she'd given but she kept herself from telling him and he didn't know why. She could infuriate him like no other person alive. He'd moved past her leaving him and he was actively seeking a new wife.

But he couldn't stop thinking about her and remembering…his skin prickled and he focused back on Charlie who was telling him that the marshals had packed up the body in a wooden coffin and put it on the back of their wagon.

"They want to talk to any witnesses. What should I tell them?"

Ethan sighed.

"I witnessed it and I told them what I know," he said, "leave it at that."

"What about Amelia?"

He looked directly at his deputy.

"Leave her out of it," he said, "I'll handle her and she's going to have to give me some answers."

Charlie threw him an odd look.

"Ethan…if she's done anything wrong, they're going to come and get her."

"Just let me handle it and her okay Charlie?"

His deputy threw up his hands.

"Okay…I've got other things to worry myself about than your ex-fiancée."

Ethan walked out of there and headed to the hotel.

* * *

Amelia sat on the bed inside one of the rooms. She didn't know how long she'd been there but it seemed like time had passed, enough time for the marshals to be gone.

She just wanted to figure out what to do next before anything happened to her friend. Before Carlton found her first…she didn't know what he would do. She just knew what he was capable of doing when he wanted his own way. When she had run into Miranda again after a bunch of years, she had thought her lucky…until she learned the truth.

Then the door opened and she saw him standing there.

"Ethan?"


	29. Chapter 29

He just looked at her in the hotel room and she stood up in front of him.

"Have they left yet?"

Ethan walked inside the room closing the door behind him.

"They came for the body and they wanted to talk to you."

She pursed her lips.

"Carlton sent them to help find her," she said, "but Ethan, she's safer where she is no matter what they say. It's better I don't know where she is right now I suppose."

"Any way you going to find out where she might be?"

She sat down on the bed again.

"I don't know…Her brother's dead now and if she finds out, she's going to stay hidden like she's told. I wish I could find a way to get word to her."

"I'll help you."

She smiled at him.

"I know…I'm sorry about this mess," she said, "If I had known…."

"You wanted to keep her safe," he said, "from her own husband, the man who should be taking care of his family."

She tilted her face.

"Is that what husbands do?"

He looked straight at her.

"Yes…that's what they do."

She sighed.

"I never needed anyone to take care of me," she said, "not even my husband."

He stood there listening to her. She didn't want to get into this situation where he felt pity for her though. She'd survived her own experience with marriage after all just fine. She'd built a life for herself after all…and there hadn't been children.

Miranda's baby had been so small, so fragile when she'd been born and she held her in her arms before handing her to her mother. Red faced and waving its balled fists, after taking her first look at the new world. But when one of the hands had wrapped around Amelia's finger, it'd been amazingly strong.

"I felt sometimes as if he needed someone to take care of him and I couldn't do it."

Ethan didn't say anything. She knew that a man like him couldn't fathom men like Pierce who ran away when things got tough…away from questions they didn't want to answer. Her ex-husband hid his real identity really well and didn't want scrutiny not from his wife. But then she'd married him to escape her own life.

"At least I had the bank to care for even if he owned it," she said, "but Miranda didn't have that. She left her husband without anything…just what she wore."

"He's going to keep looking for her."  
"I know," she said, "but she's never going back to him. She can't let her baby grow up where her mother gets hit."

Everything had changed with the baby's birth.

"How long did you know her?"

Amelia looked at him surprised.

"Some years Ethan…back when I was a young girl," she said, "We both lived at the estate and worked there."

Back when she'd been sent to her sponsored family who'd put her to work cleaning house and she'd missed the wide open space of her Outback where she'd grown up thousands of miles away.

"I don't know much about you," he said, "I didn't even know where you were from at first."

She had to smile remembering that when she'd told him while they'd been out looking for the children who'd run off to seek some hidden treasure. They'd been on a holiday of their own…their first since they'd gotten together and it hadn't gone quite as planned.

"You know what matters Ethan," she said, "That was all a whole other lifetime ago. I've been here long enough for it to be my home. Miranda…she became my friend early on…the others they made fun of how I looked and talked…I didn't fit in very well."

Ethan sighed.

"Was she from there?"

Amelia frowned.

"I don't think so…she was estranged from her own family," she said, "I know mine loved me Ethan…enough to send me away though I didn't understand at the time but with her…I don't know if they cared and it affected her."

"This was long before she met Carlton…"

Amelia nodded.

"Unlike me she didn't marry a man to get away," she said, "After I married Pierce, she wasn't happy with me because she didn't trust him…maybe she just knew him better than I did from the start."

Amelia had been too consumed with fleeing her life and seeing what else lay out there if she only had the courage to do it. So she'd been as bewildered as besotting with her husband, knowing nothing about marriage.

"But she wound up with someone much worse."

Ethan heard the chill in her voice.

"I want to find her…I just need to know where to look that's all."

She got up and walked to the window to look out onto the street. Not much activity as the heat of the sun drove people indoors for a spell. No marshals either and the horses hitched to the post were gone.

"I think it's safe now to head on home."

She started to walk towards the door feeling a sudden pinch in her side. Adjusting her dress, she looked at him.

"Thank you…"

"No problem," he said, "We can start tomorrow. It's getting late now."

She nodded and he watched her go as she left the hotel room to head back to her house.

* * *

Ethan left the room just after she did and then he ran into Stella. She just looked at him.

"What are you doing here," she said, "What just happened?"

He rubbed the back of his neck.

"What was she doing here?"

They headed towards the stairs to head on down to the restaurant.

"She's asking me for help…as a marshal. She's got a friend who's missing."

Stella nodded.

"I heard some men mention that a man's looking for his wife and child," she said, "Is that what it's about? They said something about kidnapping."

He shook his head.

"It's more complicated than that," he said, "Nothing for you to worry about."

"Who's worried? I just hope that she's not leading you on Ethan….that she doesn't still harbor feelings for you."

"Amelia's moved on," he said, "She's here on business."

"So she's not staying?"

He didn't know what to say about that. He knew she'd remain focused to do whatever it was to help a friend who meant a lot to her.

"She's not interesting in the past if that's what you're thinking," he said, "We've both moved on."

She paused and then nodded.

"All right then…because I really want what we share to work," she said, "I really want to be your wife."

They headed down to the restaurant but Ethan found himself thinking of someone else.


	30. Chapter 30

Stella and Edwina hadn't compared notes much on their time with Ethan. Not after the first round of dates or meetings with him. It's not that Stella seriously felt threatened by Edwina who she didn't consider her equal when it came to roping herself a man.

No, she had this one wrapped up already. She knew what men wanted including in the conjugal bed and she knew how to please men. Edwina, she didn't even look like she'd been far enough to kiss a man goodnight even out of politeness.

Now all she had to do was to continue onward and remain focused so that Ethan would view her as the logical choice as his bride.

Edwina had lunch with him a couple times but Stella dined with him and once, she'd tried to get him to follow her up the stairs to her room but he was too much the gentleman. That wouldn't last long because he was a man after all. She figured it'd been a while since he'd courted a woman and he didn't seem to have caroused much lately either.

She had a way of telling.

"So you seeing him again?"

She turned to look at Edwina who'd joined her at the breakfast table in the restaurant awaiting a sumptuous plate of eggs and ham, with some roasted potatoes on the side.

"Yes we're dining again tonight," Stella said, "to make up for last night."

Edwina nodded.

"That's right…he had to help his ex-fiancée, Amelia. She seemed really nice on the stagecoach."

Stella looked up to see Scotty bringing the food over to them.

"She's been keeping him busy with all this drama," she said, "about being wanted by the marshal in Virginia City…I'd hate to see her bring a fine upstanding man like Ethan down."

Edwina frowned.

"He must know what he's doing. And maybe there's a whole another side of the story with why the marshal was after her. She doesn't look like a criminal."

"Can you tell by looking at someone," Stella said, "I think she's just trying to hold onto him after he's moved on."

"She doesn't seem that interested in him to me."

Stella sipped some juice.

"She's trying to play coy with him I think," She said, "but Ethan doesn't want her back…not after she left him."

"Then you shouldn't be worried right?"

"I'm not worried. I just don't want to see him caught up in whatever scam she's pulling."

* * *

Amelia had gotten up that morning feeling a little lightheaded. Most likely from the excitement of the previous day. She knew that Carlton would come looking for her to find out how to get to Miranda but the man he'd sent had tried to kill her…and had already killed her friend's brother.

After heating some water, she ate some stew that she'd kept overnight with some bread. She'd thought about going to the restaurant but figured that Stella and Edwina would be there…either together or one of them with Ethan. After all, he was intent on getting married to one of the two women to keep his family together but she knew it went deeper than that.

Maybe he really did want to settle down with a family like he'd seemed intent on doing with her once. They'd been apart quite a few months after all.

She didn't know what to do next. She needed to head to the wire office to send one out to San Francisco where she thought Miranda might have other family. Her parents hadn't wanted her but perhaps they had sisters and brothers or even cousins who might help her. It might be a shot in the dark but she had to come up with another plan now that her only contact with Miranda had been killed by one of Carlton's men.

Miranda deserved so much better than what had happened. So much better than a husband like Carlton but at least something good had come out of it with her daughter.

They'd both been growing up together working at the estate, from sunrise to after sunset and both dreaming of better lives. Both had found their escape through men…but Pierce had just disappointed her, he hadn't hurt her the way that Carlton…she didn't want to think about it or what happened when she'd helped Miranda make her escape.

She heard a knock at the door and went to go check.

"Who is it?"

"It's Ethan…I thought I might catch you before you left."

Did he think she was leaving town or something? Maybe after what happened yesterday but she needed to come up with her new plan…before Carlton sent more men to look for her. She opened the door and let him inside.

"What do you need?"

He looked around and took in the details of the parlor but he'd spent some time there.

"I need to ask you some questions."

She folded her arms.

"Okay what do you want to know? I'll see if I can help you."

She prepared to brace herself for whatever she couldn't answer. She had to protect her friend first but she wouldn't lie to him either.

"Miranda have other family?"

She'd just been thinking about that of course but she hedged a bit.

"Does she?"

She tilted her face looking at him.

"She's got parents in San Francisco…where we both were years ago but they weren't part of her life…I don't know if there's anyone else…uncles or aunts."

He digested that.

"She worked with you as a maid?"

Amelia nodded.

"More or less though she also spent some time as a nanny for the children. She didn't have an accent to confuse them."

"What about you?"

She frowned at his change of course.

"What about me Ethan? I worked very hard cleaning the house, working in the kitchen and sometimes in the garden."

She'd liked that part best though the work often proved hardest. At least she was outdoors and it never got as hot as it did back home. The ocean sent cool breezes with just the right amount of salty dampness to keep anyone from getting too warm.

"Sounds like you two were close."

She nodded.

"Like sisters I suppose in some ways. I'd had one of my own but I haven't seen her since I came here of course."

"I'll help you find Miranda."

She smiled at him.

"That's nice of you Ethan but I have no idea where to look."

"You sure about that?"

She sighed.

"Yes I am. She knows if anything were to happen to her brother or me…she's to go into hiding and not come out."

"Nothing's going to happen to you and we're going to find her."

She turned to face him.

"Ethan…you've got your own life," she said, "I don't want to interrupt it."

She wanted him to be happy after all and she knew that came from raising his sister's children. Whatever they shared in the past…was best left in the past.

But he gestured towards the door.

"Come on…let's go and get this process started."

She followed him as they left her house and walked down the street.


	31. Chapter 31

Amelia and Ethan ran into Stella straight off and she looked a little indignant. She still wore her nice outfit and a hat she must have picked up in Applegate's clothing store.

"Ethan…where you going now?"

He looked at her.

"Amelia and I got to check the wire office," he said, "Find out what happened to a friend of hers."

"You mean something to do with that dead man they just took away."

He nodded, not denying it. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Ethan…we are still on for a late supper then?"

"I'll be done way before then and just have to ride to check on the roads outside town," he said, "got some complaints of some rustlers from a couple ranchers."

Not unusual this time of year when most of the beef cattle were sent to market to be sold to feed restaurant customers in Chicago and back East. Just some suspicions he guessed, nothing concrete and not one cow missing so far.

"Okay then…don't be too late this time. I was thinking we could go on a nice moonlit walk afterward," she said, "over the old bridge."

He nodded again.

"I'll see you then."

They left Stella and headed to the wire shop. Amelia looked sideways at him.

"She thinks she's got it sewn up."

Ethan sighed.

"Don't know about that…it's down to two women and I haven't decided."

Amelia chuckled.

"It's that difficult for you? I mean you're looking for a mother for the children right? To make the judge happy?"

"So he won't take them away from me," he said, "I know Lucy wanted them all together and with me…it was her dying wish and no one even a judge is going to stop me from raising them."

"If that were true, you'd appeal it at the circuit."

They neared the paneled building.

"Wouldn't do any good," he said, "Judge Walker's word is pretty much law in these parts. It's not like the big cities and it'd cost a bank full of money."

Amelia couldn't deny that. She'd known some judges when she'd been married to Pierce. Ethan suspected that some of them had feelings for her stronger than friendship.

"So why don't you put their names in your hat and pick your future wife that way?"

Ethan stopped and just looked at her.

"Amelia, it's more to it than that," he said, "She's going to be my wife too."

Her cheeks got some color and she nodded slowly.

"Okay…so you want someone who you can get along with very well then."

"Yes and who's pretty…"

She shot him a look and he put up his hands.

"What's wrong with that? A man's got to be attracted to a woman to get married."

Amelia sighed.

"It never lasts long does it?"

"Meaning…"

They started walking again, side by side.

"Meaning that being attracted is not nearly enough…maybe love's not either."

He frowned at her then.

"Wait a minute, are you talking about Stella and Edwina…or us."

She smiled.

"No Ethan…we're done," she said, "We really tried but we never made it to the altar right? If it were meant to be, we'd had made it but…"

"Things came up Amelia…"

She sighed deeply.

"Things always came up…your past…your buddies…partners in gun slinging whatever…we couldn't even get engaged without that happening."

Definitely true, he remembered. She'd upset him greatly when she'd ridden into the mess that he and one of his old buddies had gotten into and he'd tried to ease her out of it but it hadn't worked. That had scared him more than he'd admit.

"We did get engaged."

She rolled her eyes at him.

"Yes but we never got married…you see with Pierce it was so fast, whirlwind and I didn't want it like that but…no Ethan it was never going to happen and we know it. Besides, we've moved on…you'll be a husband soon enough and the children will have a mother."

He listened to her and it had been what he had wanted recited in front of him and yet…something didn't seem right about it. It left him feeling suddenly hollow.

"Ethan…we're both where we want to be and I have to help my friend so her husband doesn't find her."

They headed up the steps and into the office where Maura looked up at them. Amelia jotted something down and handed it to her.

"I'll send it right out."

"Anything come for me?"

Maura shook her head and Amelia knew that she'd have to wait longer. Ethan stepped up to send his wires to Virginia City and others to San Francisco, Stockton and Reno.

Then they left. Dakota walked up to Ethan and they both went to saddle their horses saying goodbye to Amelia.

* * *

She continued on to the mercantile feeling a bit of a stitch in her side. Inside, Claire was waiting on Edwina who had bought some stationary.

"Hi Claire…Edwina…"

Both women looked up at her and Amelia could tell they'd been chatting. She noticed that Ethan's niece seemed to warm up to the other woman and maybe that'd serve her well if she wound up his wife. Claire needed a mother figure as much as the boys and Amelia had tried to fill that role until she'd left them all.

"Hello Amelia…"

Both had said it and Amelia walked up to the counter.

"What do you need?"

Claire had taken over the counter in the afternoons and the extra money was socked away for her college or travel fund. She hadn't decided which yet.

"Just some small things," Amelia said, "Edwina…how are you today?"

The woman smiled.

"Very good…I'm getting to know Ethan and he seems like a very kind person…I like that about him."

Amelia knew that to be true and at least one of the women saw that part of him and valued it. Stella seemed more preoccupied with his looks. Easy enough to do with a man like him but there was a lot more to marriage than that.

"Uncle Ethan is very kind. He can't show it to be a marshal but it's there."

Amelia nodded.

"He'll be a good husband whoever marries him."

Edwina frowned.

"But you didn't…"

Amelia felt a bit taken aback at the woman's tone.

"Well no but we were in love at the time," she said, "He's a special man in ways I didn't realize at first."

Her voice grew soft and she paused as both women looked at her suddenly and she smiled at them.

"But then you'll learn that too," she said, "Claire…I think I'll pick up some of that new tea…"

Claire went to get it for her. Edwina smiled at Amelia.

"I do plan to marry Ethan and I'll give him the kindness he deserves. You don't have to worry."

"I'm not worried," Amelia said, "What's past is past."

As she said it she wavered but didn't show it. She couldn't go weak now, not when other people depended on her to remain strong in her resolve to help free them.

Ethan would help her but it couldn't ever go deeper than that.


	32. Chapter 32

Stella kissed Ethan wrapping her arms around him. They'd just finished dinner and taken a walk around town and then back to the hotel.

She broke for air and whispered.

"Come upstairs with me," she said, "Why should we wait until our wedding night?"

He looked at her and disentangled himself.

"Stella…I'm not out for a bit of carousing," he said, "Maybe I'm old fashioned but the woman who's going to be my wife will get that part of me…and I haven't decided yet."

She fiddled with his lapel.

"But you'll pick me I know…Ethan that spark between us. It just can't be denied. Surely you don't feel that with Edwina."

Ethan didn't feel that with either woman but it didn't matter to him at this point. His objectives for marriage didn't have to do with what happened between the sheets. The children and their welfare came first on his priority list. The rest, he'd figure out once he'd made his choice and said his wedding vows.

"Was it like that with _her_?"

"You mean Amelia?"

She sighed.

"Who else? Yes the woman you didn't marry,"

Ethan remembered what it had been like with her. It'd taken them so long to give into what had been building up between them. Something or someone always interrupted them but when they'd finally gotten down to it, it'd been worth the waiting. They knew back then they were going to get married anyway at some point. Only they hadn't. They'd broken up instead.

Twice.

"That's between her and me."

"Hardly…since you're not together anymore," she said, "It couldn't have been that good between the two of you."

"Stella…"

"She seems like she's more interested in business than in pleasure anyway," she said, "I think that women like that…well no wonder her first husband's not here either."

Ethan bristled. He'd slammed men against the wall for saying that but a woman? He'd never do anything like that so he'd take another approach.

"He wasn't good enough for her," he said, "He realized that just in time."

"Oh but I've heard he was quite the gentleman," she said, "Why Matilda said he was always genteel and generous."

Ethan figured that Matilda would sing his praises. She'd refused to see the darker side of him that had made Ethan never trust him.

"I just don't understand why we can't spend some time together…to find out if we match in all ways."

He stepped away from her while she watched. She didn't look pleased and bit her lip.

"Ethan…am I ugly to you? Is that it?"

He sighed.

"No…but I meant what I said," He said, "If I choose you as my wife, then when we get married…"

She didn't look too thrilled.

"I get it…as silly as it sounds…If you're hell-bent on it…"

She started to turn away from him to head on into the hotel.

"I'll see you tomorrow then."

She left him then and he knew she wasn't happy but he wasn't budging. Some men might take this opportunity to do some carousing but he wasn't one of them.

He headed back towards where he tied up his horse to head back home.

* * *

Amelia drank water feeling quite thirsty. The night had been quite warm but had cooled down in the past hour. Madeline looked across at her. They'd both met in town earlier and decided to hit the restaurant special rather than heading on home to empty houses.

"So you really missed this town?"

Madeline was a widow who had stayed around after her husband had died when the mines had been open. She had family back in Chicago but no inclination to go back to them. Amelia lived too far away from her own family.

"Yes I did…I didn't know that until I was out there traveling. I came back on business but maybe I'll stay longer."

She didn't tell her of course of what she'd been doing but she had found herself thinking about how long she might stay. Once she found Miranda and the baby, they'd stay here for a while until they found a more permanent home further away.

"We missed you too. It hasn't been the same and Ethan…"

Amelia looked up at her friend.

"Well he missed you too, anyone could tell that."

"He's moved on with his life," Amelia said, "he's getting married to one of two women."

Madeline groaned.

"Oh that…the whole town heard about how a judge threatened to take his children away from him if he didn't have a mother for them."

"That hardly seems fair. He's the best parent they could ever have and he's taken such great care of them."

Madeline shrugged.

"I don't get it either but that's what happened. It'll be good for him to find a wife to settle him a bit. He's a great marshal but he needs someone to watch out for him. If I were a bit younger…"

Amelia smiled. Ethan had that effect on women after all. He didn't realize it either.

"He's a good man. I'll always believe that even if it didn't work out. I've got enough to keep me busy."

Madeline sipped her drink.

"This business you have?"

"Yes…there's really no time for anything else. He'll find his wife and the children will have the mother they richly deserve."

It couldn't ever be here after all. Among other things, she hadn't just left Ethan, she left the children as well.

* * *

Ethan headed back to the ranch thinking of the quandary he'd gotten himself into with this whole marriage deal. He knew some men who wouldn't complain that one of the women trying out to be a wife had kissed them but he wasn't most men.

He had his years as a young buck carousing with women. Having a good time and keeping his heart out of it. He'd believed himself too scarred by his traumatic upbringing to ever love anyone or to believe that a woman could look inside of him and love him back.

Amelia was the last woman he thought would do that to him. They had gone at it enough times and argued back and forth. She'd called him a bad influence on the town with his presence and he'd said she was a person without a soul.

How wrong he'd been about that as it turned out. She'd come back to Paradise if not to him and damn, if he couldn't stop thinking about her. The mission she'd taken on had taken all of her focus and while she allowed him to help her, that's as far as it went.

Something about her relationship with Miranda that went back way before he knew her kept driving her to help her even through danger and bullets. She could have been killed and if that happened…

Darkness surrounded him and the animals fell quiet around him as he rode down the familiarly worn road back to the ranch.

He had a feeling life was about to take an interesting turn.


	33. Chapter 33

Amelia woke up with a start. She'd been sleeping fitfully and had been dreaming about her life working as a chambermaid with the family that sponsored her passage to America. Her parents had sent her to get educated and to build a new life in a better environment. But they hadn't known what would happen to her.

She rose at 4am where she slept in a room with the other maids and after washing up, she'd have a simple breakfast, toast and marmalade with some smoked ham. Coffee warmed her up and made sure she kept working until the mid-day meal which was usually soup, sometimes with chicken stock mixed with the vegetables. She'd already worked hours washing linins, curtains and sweeping the rooms when she wasn't polishing silverware. Her fingers would get wrinkled, her knuckles raw and her wrists ached along with her back but she got used to it.

Miranda had been there already, a bit older and she taught her the ropes which she needed to fit in and survive without punishment. The lady of the house had a housekeeper who would hit them with a stick on the shoulder if they were too slow, or left a speck of dust or a tarnish spot on the silver. She learned to hate the stick and it made her work harder and faster.

"You are learning quick," Miranda said, "You'll get fewer welts that way and earn greater favor. That's what you want."

Amelia shook her head.

"What I want is to get out of here," she said, "I was sent here to go to school to get educated."

Miranda chuckled.

"Oh Amelia…it's a ruse to get hired help from families like ours with dreams for us of better lives. If you want to get out of here you have to put together a plan and it's going to take some time."

"I hope not too long," Amelia said, "There's a whole world out there and I want to see it all. You know my brother, he came out here before I did and I don't know where he's living."

"It's a big country…it might not be easy to find him and in the meantime, you've got to make it here.'

Amelia knew that and she worked very hard but she'd been saving what little money she got and socking it away.

"The lady's husband is coming back from his business today," Miranda said, "He'll be expecting a good housewarming so we'd better do some extra cleaning."

Amelia sighed but she wondered about the master of the estate. What he'd be like…she hadn't met him before.

"He has a wandering eye when his wife's not looking so you'd best be careful around him."

It was a warning she should have heeded, she thought waking up from her dream into the darkness around her

She was back in Paradise years later, her heart pounding and lay back on the bed to sleep again. Miranda….she had to help her but first she had to find her. Ethan had promised to help her but…she felt thirsty again…she had to trust him.

As she got up to drink some water, she knew that she did trust him in many things but he'd been trying to find himself a wife and a mother for the children…something he wanted a lot.

The water slid down her parched throat. She felt a flush of heat and thought it must be her dream. She finished the water and went back to bed, slipping between the sheets. She closed her eyes trying to let sleep claim her again.

* * *

Ethan thought about the temptations dangled in front of him by Stella who clearly wanted some pleasure as part of the process of trying to win the role of his wife. Edwina didn't seem as interested in that part of it and hadn't made any moves to invite him up to her hotel room.

He hadn't been entirely without wondering about it…he was a man after all but somehow it didn't seem right. Probably because he wasn't marrying for love or even for pleasure but to keep his family together…to please some judge who threatened to take the children away from him.

"She's pretty isn't she?"

Ethan looked up to see Mary bringing him some coffee to go with his eggs and toast. It'd been a night of tossing and turning for him. He'd been thinking about Amelia and what she wanted from him, to help Miranda to the point where she'd nearly been killed.

What was between the two women? He knew they were linked by a shared past. But not all about it or even much. Amelia hadn't shared much about her earlier life with him even when they were together. She knew more of his traumatic childhood and early adult years than he did about whatever had happened to her back in Australia as well as in this country.

"Who?"

Mary smiled.

"Edwina…."

That caught Ethan by surprise.

"What?"

"Oh Scotty and I talked about this wedding deal and we have a wager of who you'll wind up marrying. I think it'll be Edwina."

Ethan narrowed his eyes.

"You bet on who I'm going to marry?"

Mary didn't look concerned.

"Well yes…but how are thing going with you and both women?"

Ethan felt taken aback, first at the idea of a wager involving his personal life and then the fact that Mary had picked Edwina.

"I still haven't decided and I'm not saying which until I'm done," he said, "It's my business not the town's."

"Oh most of the town's betting on Stella," Mary said, "but I think Edwina's going to win."

Ethan wanted to get out of there but he had to finish his breakfast and then talk to Dakota about any developments with Miranda's dead brother.

"So how's Amelia?"

Now Ethan felt surprised again.

"She's…busy."

"I can see that," Mary said, "It's like she was never gone except with you. I take it the engagement's still off?"

Ethan sighed.

"It's in the past…we've both moved on with our lives."

"You're helping her though?"

He nodded.

"I'm the marshal," he said, "It's my job and she needs help."

Mary nodded digesting it.

"It's good seeing her back though I wonder how long she'll be staying this time."

Ethan didn't know either, probably until she'd helped her friend free herself from her husband. But what if she decided not to leave?

Not that it'd matter as he still had to decide which of the two women who came to town would be his bride. So much depended on it, the rest of it, was outside his control.


	34. Chapter 34

"I just don't know why you think you have a chance with him."

Edwina glanced up at Stella who just stood there in one of her new dresses that she bought at the fancy boutique that boasted European imports. Low cut in the front showing what most women who didn't work in saloons played down on and the length of it…some might call scandalous.

She'd grown up much different from her competition for Ethan, she knew that but she couldn't believe how far the other woman was willing to go to win a husband. Edwina enjoyed her meetings with the marshal and he seemed to as well. But they just talked, that was it and she knew that Stella had kissed the guy and tried to lure him upstairs to her hotel room.

Edwina couldn't ever do that. Her parents had raised her to be modest and unassuming especially with men. Most definitely with her future husband when she found him.

That might be Ethan. But if Stella had her way…

"You know it's not fair the way you play it."

Stella scoffed.

"Oh and who wrote the rules? I don't remember Ethan telling us we couldn't show off some of our other skills besides conversation and style of dress."

Edwina remembered that but still…it didn't seem right to act so overly friendly. She thought it might backfire on Stella to be so…forward but that hadn't happened yet. Ethan hadn't discouraged it as far as she knew.

"It's just not proper…you barely know him."

Stella shrugged.

"Can you think of a better way to get to know a man," she said, "especially one you're going to marry?"

Edwina's mouth formed a fine line. She had something to say about that and Stella wasn't going to wind up walking down the flower strewn aisle to Ethan.

"I can think of ways that a _lady_ would get to know her future husband."

"Oh whatever…I'll send you an invite to the wedding…"

Edwina watched as Stella sauntered off towards the mercantile. She also saw Claire glance at the woman and then continue walking. She smiled at Edwina.

"I see you two are still talking."

Edwina sighed.

"Barely…I think we both want the same thing and that's to marry your uncle."

Claire pursed her lips.

"My uncle wants what is best for us and that's why he's doing this…so we can live with him."

"Did he tell you that?"

Claire shook his head.

"Not really but he doesn't have to tell us anything," she said, "He's always done the best for us to take care of us and keep us safe."

Edwina smiled.

"I know he loves you very much. He talks about you a lot when we spend time together."

"We love him back," Claire said, "and we want him to be happy…as much so as he's made us."

"I can understand that. I like him very much and well…he's got to make his own decision."

Claire sighed.

"He's so busy helping Amelia," she said, "She's wanted by some marshals for something she did and my uncle's trying to find out why."

Edwina had heard about that and it seemed to be taking quite a bit of his time. Stella had certainly commented about that.

"It's only natural. They did almost get married didn't they?"

Claire nodded.

"I don't know why they broke it off. They could have worked it out if they just tried but she left town to do some traveling."

"Ethan's seemed to move forward from that I noticed…and he's the one who's looking for a wife. He wouldn't do that unless he were ready to get married."

Claire's brow furrowed.

"It's for us…not for him," she said, "to keep us all together."

Edwina didn't know what to say to that knowing Claire was right. Ethan had been upfront about his intentions and what he wanted from marriage. He hadn't minced words and he hadn't mentioned love at all towards his wife, just that he'd honor his vows.

That'd have to be enough for her. That's what she kept telling herself.

* * *

Amelia felt better, more refreshed in the morning but remembered her dreams. She'd met Miranda back when they'd both been cleaning a huge house for a wealthy family of high status. They'd spent their off duty time talking about what their lives had been like before arriving there.

They'd been so different from one another but had become friends. They shared their ambitions as well. Amelia wanted to travel and explore the vast country that had adopted her and Miranda wanted to grow up in a house like the one they cleaned.

She'd gotten what she wanted or so Amelia had thought. Maybe Miranda had believed so too until the man she married turned out to be a much different person than she imagined.

"Amelia…"

She looked up and saw Ethan approaching her. His horse tied up nearby and he looked to be heading to the office.

"What is it Ethan?"

He stopped in front of her and she saw the look of concern etched on his face.

"You okay?"

She grew puzzled. None of what had happened was okay but what did he mean?

"I'm fine…why are you asking?"

His eyes caught hers.

"Does there have to be a reason?"

She hadn't expected that from him. So much time and more than that had passed and even though he'd agreed to help her…they weren't the same people anymore.

"No…but I thought you might have found something out."

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I found out that Miranda might be close by."

That surprised her…that he'd learn anything when she hadn't heard from anyone.

"How…how do you know?"

"Clinton has another property just outside of Silver Crest," he said, "a house and some property…maybe she went there."

"But wouldn't he look?"

Ethan's jaw clenched.

"Maybe…maybe it's too obvious."

She nodded and then started back to her house.

"Then I'm going out there and look," she said, "It's only a day's ride."

"Amelia…"

She turned to look at him.

"No Ethan…I have to do this…don't try to stop me."

She started walking again and he fell alongside her.

"I'm not going to do that," he said, "I'm going to go with you."

She glanced sideways at him.

"You going to run that past your prospective wives?"

"They'll understand…they know this is part of who I am that they'll have to spend time alone."

She paused for a moment, understanding that fully.

"Yes they will…and it's better they know that going into it."

"Amelia…I know what it cost you to try to make it work."

She sighed as they reached her house.

"No you don't Ethan…but that's water under the bridge," she said, "Now I'm going to find Miranda. If you want to come with me, you'd best meet me back here in an hour and we'll start off."

He nodded.

"I'll be here…"

She watched him back to where he tied his horse wondering what she'd just gotten herself into not only with Miranda but with him.


	35. Chapter 35

Claire stood there talking with Mary watching the two women stare at each other from across the room.

"I think it's going to get ugly."

Mary sighed.

"Not in my restaurant it won't," she said, "I know that Ethan's got it in his mind to marry one of them but is it going to come down to a brawl?"

Claire shook her head.

"No…I don't think he's going to marry either one of them," she said, "and Edwina's very nice but Uncle Ethan's only going to marry one woman in Paradise."

Mary furrowed her brow.

"You mean Amelia don't you? She doesn't look like she's looking for a husband right now."

"That's because she's helping her friend," Claire said, "but my uncle's helping her and the more time they spend together, the more they'll remember how they almost got married."

"Almost doesn't mean married Claire. They were at the altar three times and always something stopped them from saying their vows. Almost as if fate kept them apart."

Claire shook her head again.

"I don't believe in all that. I think that they needed to figure out what they both wanted."

Mary shrugged.

"That makes sense. It wasn't an easy road for Scotty and me to find each other and I've never regretted it."

Claire knew that the woman had seen some really difficult times and that her uncle and Amelia had to help the couple during a crisis or two.

Mary shook her head.

"I can understand wanting the same man but if they start fighting in my establishment I'm going to have to put my foot down on it."

Claire just thought both women were fighting over someone who was a lost cause to both.

* * *

Stella shook her head.

"He kissed me like he meant it," she said, "I think he's falling in love with me."

Edwina just looked at her rival.

"Stella, he barely knows you…or me and in case you haven't noticed, he's not spending time with either of us right now."

Stella flipped one of her hands dismissively.

"Oh her…she's not a threat," she said, "It's not like he married her. If he loved her, then neither of us would be here."

"I'm not so sure about that. I think now that she's here and he knows it, he might decide she's the one he wants to marry."

Stella put a hand on her hip.

"But she hasn't tried to get back with him. She's busy trying to help someone kidnap another man's wife. It doesn't sound like she has a lot of respect for the institution of marriage."

Edwina thought she might have a point. After all, Ethan and Amelia had been to the altar right but had nothing to show for it except a broken engagement and time apart. Still they were back together in a manner of speaking and Ethan had suddenly grown scarce.

"Where is he now anyway?"

Stella flipped her hair back.

"I don't know…but I know he wants to see me later and we're going to get a lot closer."

Edwina blanched.

"You haven't…"

Stella pursed her lips.

"No…not yet but it's only a matter of time," she said, "I'm not shy. I know what I have to do to win and keep a man happy."

Edwina frowned because that hadn't been her strategy at all. She had been brought up proper to be a lady and that meant not embarking in certain activities outside of marriage. Stella obviously had not grown up in the same world, the same code of unwritten rules.

"You don't Edwina and that's why I'm going to win him and you're not…and Amelia, she's going to have to just look elsewhere for another husband."

Edwina thought Stella sounded confident enough but maybe she wasn't thinking clearly. You couldn't buck history sometimes and that's what Ethan shared with Amelia.

"I hope you're right but the more time he spends with her, the more that they'll be going down memory lane and he might just decide he wants her back again."

Stella made a face.

"That's not going to happen because at some point they'll be reminded again of why they didn't get married…that her unreasonable demands broke them up."

Edwina frowned at that, wondering where the information had come from unless it was the idle gossip.

"I don't know Stella…this might have been a wasted trip for both of us."

* * *

Ethan had taken off with Amelia to ride off to where Carlton had a house that he rarely used. She wondered if it were possible that Miranda would have headed there to hide out. Carlton might think it too obvious a place and might not send one of his thugs out to look.

Still you could never tell with Carlton considering what had happened already and that Miranda's brother was shot dead.

They left Paradise behind and headed on down the road riding side by side. Not talking much except whether to turn on this fork in the road or which side of the creek to ride by. Amelia flinched a couple times when a stray branch struck her side. She felt a bit sensitive there likely from the bullet that had grazed her skin that day.

Ethan seemed to be lost in thought much of the ride and she wondered if that had to do with the two bridal candidates waiting for him back in town. He'd assured her that neither of them would miss him that they would find ways to keep busy. After all any wife of his would have to be able to cope with spending hours or even days alone or with the children. It'd be good practice for them and part of the test.

"Let's head in the shade for a spell," he said, "eat some of that lunch Claire packed us."

They dismounted and tied their horses up loosely by a grove of trees. The stream wove its way like a ribbon through the foothills, across the valleys in between them.

"It looks good," Amelia said, "I bet you're pretty excited though to marry someone who'll take over the cooking."

Ethan didn't respond and she wondered if she said too much.

"Look Ethan…if you don't want to talk about it…"

He cleared his throat and reached for a biscuit and some fresh honey.

"No…I'm guessing the whole town's been talking about it," he said, "When I set out to find a wife…all I was thinking was that I didn't want the children to be taken away from me…but it's gotten so complicated."

Amelia bit back a smile.

"So I see…"

He looked at her.

"Do you? I would think you'd be…"

"Upset Ethan? No…I'm not. I'm busy trying to help my friend."

He paused.

"I know that…and I know that you're not a kidnapper," he said, "Whatever I can do to help her and you…"

She smiled this time.

"I know Ethan…and thank you," she said, "I don't know what we're going to find at the house."

"You think she's hiding out there?"

Amelia nodded.

"If she's still in the area…it's the most logical place."

They both finished eating, knowing that they had to get there as soon as possible just in case Miranda was waiting for someone to help her and the baby.


	36. Chapter 36

Amelia urged her horse on faster and Ethan did as well after they'd both finished eating by the stream. They'd been riding for over a half day and within a few hours, they'd reach the house. Then they'd know whether Miranda and the baby would be hiding there…or whether or not Carlton would have sent men to check the place out.

They'd have to prepare for that, if Carlton had men waiting to ambush them. He'd turned almost desperate in the search for his wife and child. Amelia figured he didn't like being one-upped by a mere woman. But Amelia knew that Miranda had been made of tough stuff. Even back when both of them had been younger working at the big house. They'd been cleaning linens and washing floors together and talking amongst themselves when no one was watching them.

* * *

"_Miranda…you know anything about this party tonight?"_

_Her friend looked at her reddened hands rubbing them against her dress. _

"_Just that the Lord of the house is hosting some new businessmen that are helping him get rich," Miranda said, "we'll have to make sure that they're happy and entertained."_

_Amelia sighed putting her cloth down. Her back hurt a bit from being up since dawn to do the housework on this special day. _

"_He seems to like you."_

_Amelia looked down at her own chapped hands. _

"_I don't know about that," she said, "He just asked me if I needed anything."_

_Miranda put a hand on her hips. _

"_That means he's taken an interest in you…well don't spend too much time with him or the wife will complain and you'll be out on the street."_

_Amelia frowned. _

"_But I'm sponsored…"_

_Miranda shook her head. _

"_Only as long as you don't make trouble and carry your weight in the workload…otherwise you're out of luck."_

_Amelia had found her life in America much different than what she'd expected when she'd first stepped foot on the shore of the harbor in San Francisco after months spent on a boat. _

"_If he tries to get you alone…make an excuse to get out of there," Miranda said, "Say you have to go to the kitchen to help serve food."_

"_It's not like that…"_

_Miranda looked serious. _

"_It will be…he picks one of us for a while to amuse himself," she said, "and then he moves on when the wife gets suspicious."_

_Amelia just shook her head. She just focused on the chores they'd given her to do. Honestly, she was too tired by the end of the day to do much of anything but sleep and occasionally do some reading or staying up to talk with the other women. _

"_I won't give him the chance," she said, "Besides his wife will be with him most of the time that he's not talking business. Alice will keep us busy enough too."_

_Miranda didn't look convinced and Amelia knew her friend was just looking out for her. But she had to show she could look after herself like she'd promised her parents. _

_But as it turned out, Miranda had been right…._

* * *

They rode until the sun started moving towards the horizon and Amelia knew they were approaching the house where Miranda might be hiding out. Ethan pulled the reins on his horse and stopped so she did the same.

"What is it Ethan?"

He looked at her.

"I think it's just a couple miles more."

She just nodded.

"So we have to be careful then in how we approach?"

"Yes in case Carlton has men waiting for us," he said, "We don't know if he's not checked to see if his wife and child are there."

"No we don't Ethan but we can hope it's too obvious… for him to come looking."

They started riding again more slowly in anticipation that it might get riskier if there were men waiting for them.

"You let me go in first."

She just nodded and they rode single file down a trail with trees lining either side. The water of a nearby stream flowed over rocks nearby.

* * *

_Amelia turned to look at Miranda, as they walked back in the room where they both slept at night. Moonlight shone through a sliver of window showing from the curtain. _

"_Miranda…I want to get out of her."_

_The other woman just looked at her. _

"_You know that it'll be hard to make it out there on your own," she said, "You don't have enough money saved."_

_Amelia sighed. _

"_I don't care…I can't stay here anymore. I can't have it hanging over my head."_

_Miranda shook her head at her. _

"_He's a powerful man and you know that means getting what he wants from anyone…any woman."_

_Amelia's mouth became a firm line. _

"_Not from me. I don't care what he thinks he wants," she said, "I'm not interested. Even with all that's promised."_

"_He doesn't mean it Amelia," Miranda said, "It's all empty promises and then it'll be threats."_

_Amelia moved closer to the window and nudged the curtain open. _

"_I don't care. I have my own plans for the future and they don't include spending my whole life here."_

_Miranda sighed. _

"_There are some cousins of his that will be at the next party," she said, "from back East. I wonder what they'll be like."_

_Amelia shrugged. _

"_Probably the same…aren't they all in this social circle? And they'll expect the same out of us."_

* * *

Ethan glanced over at her as they reached another clearing. It couldn't be much longer from here.

"So Miranda's your closest friend?"

Amelia nodded.

"When I came here some years ago, she was my first…and only friend."

Ethan paused.

"I hope we can find her soon," he said, "but even if that happens, she'll still have to face off against her husband and he has all the legal rights."

"And all the power and money…I know Ethan but I'm going to do whatever it takes to help her," she said, "I owe her that much and more."

Ethan arched a brow at her as if expecting more but she fell silent. Some things weren't to be talked about if they were ancient history.

"We'd better keep on going," she said, "I think we're almost there."

The two of them continued on down the mountain trail keeping an eye out for any sign of trouble.


	37. Chapter 37

Claire waited on Edwina who had bought some silk ribbon inside Axelrod's mercantile while Stella flounced around the store checking out the hair combs.

There were some new ones on the shelves. Some nice and pretty, some more expensive. Stella fingered them and looked as if she weren't quite satisfied. Nothing seemed to do that for her, Claire noticed.

"Do you have any with roses on them?"

Claire shook her head.

"Just the buttercups," she said, "though we're getting more next week with different types of flowers."

Stella just waved a hand and kept looking. Edwina smiled at Claire.

"They're all so pretty…I'd buy one but I only have enough for the ribbons."

Claire rang them up and Edwina handed over the money before the ribbons were wrapped up and given to her.

"Thanks…I was hoping to see your uncle but he's not in town."

Claire nodded.

"He took off to go look for that woman…Miranda who's married to the man from Virginia City. She's been missing for a while."

Stella paid notice and snorted from her location.

"Missing? Kidnapped he said…and that Amelia has something to do with it."

Claire narrowed her eyes.

"She doesn't…she's trying to help her."

Stella walked up to the counter holding onto two pins adorned with intricate designs.

"How do you know that? A man as powerful as Carlton should know what happened to his own wife."

Claire shrugged.

"Maybe he doesn't…maybe she needed to get away from him."

Edwina shook her head.

"She had a baby too…I hope they're both safe."

Claire sensed that somehow the baby was safest with her mother and away from Carlton. She hadn't liked the man on sight. Not when she first saw him at an event when Ethan had taken them all to Virginia City some months ago. It'd been a business trip but they'd been out of school so they'd gone with him in the wagon.

The man had seemed more concerned with his own image than anything else. His wife had been with him and hadn't looked happy…even a bit frail. Claire had felt for her.

Now she was missing and Amelia had tried to help her. Claire trusted in that and she hoped that she would find her and the baby before…she didn't want to think about what might happen.

"They'd be safer with their father I would think," Stella said, "He seems like a very powerful man."

Edwina just looked at her.

"I'm sure he might be but he should be taking care of his wife don't you think? There must be some good reason she's not with him now."

Stella's eyes narrowed.

"I'm sure that it's possible Amelia wasn't a good influence on his wife," she said, "Why was she involving herself anyway like some busybody."

Claire gritted her teeth.

"Because she cared about her and they were friends? Maybe she was very unhappy with him, maybe he mistreated her."

Stella just waved her hand again.

"Really? The man takes care of her, gives her a home and food to eat," she said, "Any wife should be grateful to be taken care of like that."

Edwina cleared her throat.

"So Ethan's out looking for her," she said, "I hope he does find her but it's a lot of ground to cover don't you think? Did he take any deputies with him?"

Claire shook her head.

"He's with Amelia. She went with him."

Oh, Stella's body stiffened when she heard that news.

"Really? You'd think that she'd just let him handle it," she said, "He's the law after all."

Claire wrapped up Stella's clips for her.

"She's taking him to someplace where Miranda might be…to help her friend."

Stella rolled her eyes.

"Right…the two of them all alone together," she said, "I'll bet she's not unhappy about that."

Edwina frowned.

"She's not interested in him Stella," she said, "They broke up months ago and both moved on."

"How naïve can you be? She's probably making a play for him right now but he's not going to fall for it…not when he's got plans to marry one of us."

Claire watched the both of them and she thought Edwina had the more sense though Stella acted like she knew everything.

"Oh Stella…he's just doing his job…that's all," Edwina said, "When he's found her, he'll come back and then we'll see who he marries."

Stella rubbed her hands together.

"Yes and if Amelia thinks she's going to butt in she'll have another thing coming…"

Claire just listened to her and shook her head. Neither of them stood a chance.

* * *

Ethan looked around the cabin.

"There's no one here…"

Amelia had followed him inside as he moved carefully, stealth like a mountain lion. It'd been like that since they tied up the horses at a careful distance and approached the cabin slowly. It wasn't really a cabin as it had multiple rooms but it wasn't quite large enough as a house. It had furnishings but they had dust on them…no one had used them for quite a while.

"Any sign she might have been here?"

Ethan didn't see any but then it'd be risky if she came here. If her husband had decided to send men to check his house. Maybe that'd happened already but there weren't signs of it.

"The river's out back," she said, "plenty of water and what's left of a garden."

Ethan nodded and sat down on a chaise looking up at her. She removed a jacket wincing a bit as she did so.

"You okay?"

She paused looking at him then nodded.

"I'm fine Ethan…a bit tired from riding," she said, "I don't know about you but I'm not in a hurry to ride back to Paradise."

He sighed.

"We'd never make it back and I don't want to ride at night," he said, "We'll stay here and leave in the morning."

She nodded, smiling.

"Then we'll have to come up with some supper," she said, "I'll see what's in the garden."

"I'll go see what I can find out there."

They checked out the house and found a dining area and kitchen not to mention a sun room. But when it came to bedrooms, they only found one. Nicely decorated but the only one in the house.

The two looked at each other.

"I'll take the chaise…I'm smaller."

Ethan shook his head.

"No…I'll take it…you take the bed."

She figured they'd sort it out later on…she felt hungry so they both went outside to rustle up something to eat for supper.

* * *

Amelia watched him disappear into a grove of trees near the river. She figured he'd find rabbit or quail to hunt for their meal.

She found some vegetables left to grow wild in better shape, some root types including onions. Some lettuces or similar so she looked for the freshest.

While she picked through it, she thought about Miranda. What had happened to her? She hadn't shown up here. So she must be hiding someplace else. Had her husband found her?

Then there was being alone with Ethan again far from everyone else. Just the two of them with a lot of history between them. But everything between them had changed, they no longer harbored the same feelings did they?

After all he was trying to find a wife and decide between two women and she…she just wanted to help a friend.


	38. Chapter 38

Stella paced in her hotel room. She'd dressed up to head down to dinner hoping Ethan would be back from wherever he'd ridden off to with that ex-fiancée of his but it hadn't happened yet. So she'd headed back up and ran into Edwina who'd come back from the dress shop.

"Look what I got," Edwina twirled around, "it's not as fancy as any of yours but it was at a good price."

Stella sniffed.

"I think it suits you…but what were your plans for tonight since I was going to be with Ethan?"

"I was going to get a meal in a box and eat it where there's a view," Edwina said, "Claire told me of such a spot."

"Claire…nice girl, a little impudent if you ask me."

"I thought her very nice actually," Edwina, "and very helpful."

Stella narrowed her eyes.

"Really…how? With Ethan?"

Edwina sighed.

"No not with her uncle. Not everything's about him you know."

"It has to be if I'm going to win this competition," Stella said, "No offense intended but I do plan on winning."

Edwina sat on the bed.

"Neither of us will I think if he's spending time with Amelia…he's out with her you know."

Oh Stella knew that only too well and didn't like it. But she couldn't stand up and tell him not to help her. That wouldn't earn her any points. He'd be back soon enough anyway. In the meantime…she had to up her game.

"He'll return to town soon and he'll continue with trying to get married to one of us," she said, "and that's of course going to be me."

Edwina frowned.

"That's really up to him don't you think? To decide which of us he's going to share the rest of his life with here."

Stella waved her hand.

"Oh it won't be spent here. After we get married, we might spend a little while here before we move off to someplace nicer…like a bigger city with more to do."

"But what if Ethan likes living here, what if the children like it here? I mean they're here right now rather than someplace else aren't they?"

Stella's mouth formed a fine line.

"That can change and it will change," she said, "Ethan will buy us a nice parcel someplace else and we'll live our life together there."

"What about the children?"

"Oh them…too of course."

But Stella already had a pan mapped out in her head for Ethan's niece and nephews. They'd be sent off to schools elsewhere…far enough away so they'd just visit a couple times a year during longer holidays. Claire to finishing school and the boys to military academies. Sending them away would definitely help build character in them not to mention it'd do wonders for her and Ethan.

* * *

Claire cleaned up the kitchen and put the dishes away. Joseph had been out with the younger boys feeding the livestock.

"So do you think Uncle Ethan's really going to get married this time?"

Claire paused then smiled.

"That's what he has planned but Joseph…you know it's just to keep us with him. I feel…it's wrong for him but what can we do?"

Joseph sighed.

"Nothing…he's a grown man he's got to live his own life. That's what he's always saying to us. That we have to wait until we're grown up to do anything."

"Anything we want Joseph that's what he means and he's right."

Joseph had bristled under his brand of parenting more than any of them but it had done him a world of good. He wasn't fancying himself toward falling in with the wrong people but had gotten a job loading shipments for the Mill in town.

"When he gets married, he's not going to want us around."

Claire frowned at her brother.

"What do you mean? Of course he will. He's only getting married to keep us all together."

Joseph didn't look convinced.

"But what about the women? What do they really want?"

Claire couldn't answer.

* * *

Amelia rustled up some coffee and cooked it on the stove. She'd done it enough during her life including over an open campfire for it to turn out just fine.

She brought it out to the front steps where Ethan sat already looking out into the wilderness. He looked up at her as she sat and joined him, handing him a cup.

"So you think that Carlton's men might already have come here?"

Ethan nodded.

"I saw some recent footprints out back," he said, "made by a pair of men…and also a couple of horses."

She digested that.

"You don't suppose…"

"No signs of a woman being here," he said, "I'd wager that she's hiding someplace else. That she wouldn't risk coming here."

She looked down at her coffee cup.

"I don't know if I'll ever find her then."

He glanced sideways at her.

"She'll wire you or find some way to get word to you when it's safer," he said, "She knows where you're staying."

She nodded.

"Paradise was the only place I could think of heading."

"I'm happy that you did Amelia."

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Ethan…it's just about making sure Miranda and her baby's safe."

"Of course…but it's good to see you again too."

She had to smile at that because she really had missed him, had been wrong about a few things but she'd been so worried about her friend.

"I missed you Ethan…you might not believe that the way I left but it's true."

He looked at his own cup.

"Missed you too…."

She put a smile on her face.

"I see you've forward with your life and I'm happy for you Ethan. You deserve to find someone who can make give you all that."

"I did find someone…"

Amelia looked over at him.

"Oh so you've made your choice…"

He paused for a moment.

"I thought I did."

She caught the meaning in his voice and she felt her heart tighten.

"Ethan…it never would have…"

He glanced away from her.

"We could…"

She shook her head.

"Ethan you're looking for a wife and I don't know if I can be that for you. For one thing I owe Miranda so much and she's in terrible trouble, I can't think of anything…or anyone else."

"Amelia, we'll find her and we'll help her."

She sighed.

"I know but beyond that…"

She winced suddenly, feeling a sharper pain. The look on his face changed to concern.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh…nothing…"

"That didn't look like nothing," he said, "Are you hurt?"

She paused, hearing more than a hint of urgency in his voice.

"No…yes…just a little from the other day."

"In the barn…when someone took a shot at you?"

She paused again and nodded.

"The bullet grazed me…that's all and there's a small wound…nothing really. I've been taking care of it."

"I want to see it. We'll do that inside okay?"

She shook her head.

"Certainly not…it's underneath my clothing and I'm not taking it off in front of you."

He sighed.

"It's not as if I haven't seen you before…undressed Amelia."

Her face flushed a bit.

"True…but it's all different now. You're courting two women which in itself is a bit odd but I'm not one of them so…"

He put up a hand.

"No argument Amelia…I'm getting some things from the kitchen and when I return, I want to see that injury...you got it?"

There was really no sense in arguing with Ethan when his mind was made up. He'd learned that about her. They were a lot alike in some ways.

So she just nodded.

"Okay then…I'll be back."

She watched him disappear into the kitchen wondering what would happen next.


	39. Chapter 39

Amelia didn't like the idea of undressing in front of him so she decided to only expose her bare skin in the most minimal of ways. She'd worn her riding clothes instead of a dress, thank goodness and so she dealt with her shirt. It was actually one that she'd picked up when she and Pierce had stayed for a while at a cattle ranch in Texas.

So she unbuttoned it slowly, upward from where it'd been tucked in her pants. She wore an undershirt underneath, not proper wear for a lady but she'd not been one in quite a while. As she bared her waist, she glanced at where she'd put a bandage on her injury. It'd started to unravel and she knew she needed a new one.

Most likely the sharp pain arose from the tugging of the bandage or the rubbing against her clothes but she didn't want an infection. It could be fatal quite quickly and that outcome was much less acceptable than showing Ethan some skin.

After all it's not like he hadn't seen it before. Still everything had changed since those days and nights spent together. She didn't want to be reminded of what it'd been like with him and her experiences with Pierce…not much to prepare her.

"Amelia…"

She glanced up and saw him standing there with a cloth and a bowl of what looked like water.

"You getting your clothes off?"

She snorted at him.

"Enough for you to see where the bullet nicked me."

He moved over to the chaise where she waited and sat next to her.

"Now let me take a look then."

She glared at him.

"Ethan…really it's not necessary…."

"Oh yes it is Amelia…we can't go looking for your friend and her baby if you get an infection and die from it."

"I'm not going to die Ethan…you can barely see it."

"Can't see it at all until you show me what's underneath that shirt."

She looked at him but he just looked serious, his eyes concerned. She'd cleaned up enough of his wounds from his fighting, watched over him when he'd been shot. He didn't like much being fussed over any more than she did, just getting him to stay still was a hardship.

"Come on Amelia…I've seen it before including that birthmark…"

Her face flushed.

"Ethan not one more word! Okay I'll let you take a look at it. A brief one."

Ethan bit back a smile and he looked more than a little amused at her. His fingers though reached towards her shirt and pulled it up on one side. She tried not to look concerned about that but inside, her heart beat faster despite itself.

The anticipation of his fingers on her skin, gliding over it. Too much to think about right now but when they did touch her skin, they focused on the reddened skin around where the bullet had marked her. She winced when he explored the worst of it but it didn't pain her that much except…

"Ouch…"

"Now hold still Amelia…"

She chuckled despite herself as he tugged at the bandage.

"We're switching places aren't we?"

He paused, his focus still on her injured skin.

"I suppose we are…and you always took good care of me. Now it's my turn."

That sent some headiness through her and she glanced away from him.

"So what's the verdict? Am I going to live?"

He examined it some more quietly. Then he looked up at her.

"It's trying to heal itself," he said, "but you need a new bandage and some cleaning."

She nodded thinking that made sense.

"It'll get infected if you don't…and it'll hurt a lot more."

He reached for the cloth and soaked it in the water. It felt warm to her skin as he gently washed it and she tried not to flinch. It felt good actually, almost too good. The way he took care of her in ways no other man had ever done.

Certainly not her ex-husband.

"It'll feel better…"

She smiled at him.

"It already does…thank you."

He smiled back at her in that way of his as he dried her skin and then put a fresh bandage on it. His fingers brushing against skin that wasn't marred. She closed her eyes as he did that and relaxed. Then he pulled her shirt back down.

"There…finished. Not such a hardship was it?"

She shook her head.

"I'm sorry Ethan…it's just that well…we've both…seen a lot of each other in the past…and as long as we remember to keep it there…"

"Amelia…"

"No Ethan…I can't rest until I find her and you…you're courting two women right now or they're courting you…it's hard to know which."

He grimaced at that.

"You disapprove of what I'm doing?"

She heard the edge in her voice and knew she deserved it. She'd been gone for quite some time and didn't know what his life had been like.

"Ethan…as long as it makes you happy," she said, "You deserve a woman who can share that kind of life with you."

"So do you…with a man of course."

She smiled.

"I don't know if it'll work for me Ethan…I'm wondering if I'm the type of woman who can be happy married at all. I've always depended on and looked after myself…my whole life…except."

He looked at her as if waiting for her to continue but she fell silent.

"You're never going to marry again?"

She tilted her face at him.

"Most likely not," she said, "I didn't manage well the last time and you…me…we never made it."

"That wasn't your fault Amelia," he said, "It was just as much mine if not more so. I pushed you away."

She shook her head.

"No Ethan…I ran away…I got scared…I admit it but that made it clear to me that I'm not good at this marriage rite. At least I know it now…can't make any more mistakes."

"Can't fall in love either then?"

She just looked at him a long moment then got up from the chaise.

"I'm feeling up to something to drink," she said, "I think I found some scotch in the kitchen. Don't know how old it is."

"I'll have a glass too."

"I'll get us both some," she said, "You wait here…"

She left to go to the kitchen to fetch it.

* * *

Ethan watched her go, still figuring out what went on with what she said. Acting like she failed at getting married because neither of them made it together…had she really believed it was her fault? He had been so focused on telling her she couldn't leave him…until he did the hardest thing he ever did which was let her get on that stagecoach.

Then he had to live his life. Marshaling and raising his niece and three nephews, never able to forget her.

He needed to get married to keep the children which was why Stella and Edwina were in Paradise vying for him. It all seemed to be a perfect plan until Amelia had returned.

But she wanted no part of him. She'd moved on with her life. The more time he spent with her, the more he realized he didn't have that same ability.


	40. Chapter 40

The scotch flowed freely and they each refilled their glass once as they sat outside. The air cooled considerably but not to the point of being uncomfortable.

She felt languorous from the liquid courage that went down her throat, spreading a pleasant warmth through her.

"So you feeling better?"

She nodded sipping from her glass.

"You'll have to take care of it," he said, "so it heals properly."

"I know…I can handle that…but I still need to keep looking for her."

He took her glass from her hand and put it down with his own.

"Amelia...you'll find her," he said, "We'll send out more of those wires."

She pursed her lips.

"I owe her so much you know."

"No I didn't know," he said, "I know that you met her back in San Francisco…that you spent time together there."

She rubbed her hands together thoughtfully.

"We worked together as chambermaids in a large house for a wealthy family," she said, "She was there longer than me and when I arrived…it was so different than what I expected…"

* * *

"_Be careful that you don't dawdle even for a bit or else Alice will come after you with the stick…"_

_Amelia's eyes widened. Surely Miranda wasn't serious about it. She'd just arrived at the manor two days ago and had been hastily prepared for her new life. After getting off the boat, she'd just stood there with her bags and waited for someone to find her. _

_A man and a woman had come up to her and told her they were there to take her to the house to settle in before supper. She'd been told by her parents that she'd be staying with a nice family who'd make sure she was educated and learned the social graces. _

_But as it turned out, that hadn't been the case at all. She'd been shipped thousands of miles and months at sea to clean the house, wash the floors and do the laundry. Along with the rest of the staff that included other girls her age. Most of them speaking in accents, some in broken English. _

_All of them sent there by their parents in hopes of a better life. _

"_She won't hit you hard...just enough to get her point across on the shoulder or the hand."_

_Amelia hadn't escaped being hit in her life but she'd been taught how to fight back by her father and by Royal. _

_Each day had been the same, rising before the sun in a mattress in a room where they all slept. Washing up and getting dressed, then helping prepare the first meal of the day and then peeling potatoes for later. _

_They worked hard with few breaks including a brief mid-day meal until just after sunset, then it was supper and lessons. _

_Only the lessons hadn't been to do with schooling, but how to clean floors better, how to properly hang linins to dry. Then time for prayer as the family were pious Christians and then bedtime. Amelia ached by the end of the day, her hands chapped and her feet sore. _

_Miranda and she used to leave their beds to sit on the ledge by a window that opened out into a courtyard. _

_Just to talk late in the night and to dream about futures that appeared out of reach for both of them. Amelia knew that she wasn't spending her whole life here…especially when she got hit by the stick the first time._

* * *

Ethan frowned.

"Someone hit you?"

She looked out into the darkness.

"Sometimes…not very hard…like I said, just to make a point. We weren't seen as being very bright…just good for labor."

Ethan hadn't known much about Amelia's background. He'd told her a few parts of his life piecemeal but she hadn't done like with him.

"Miranda didn't like it much…but she just told us what to do so it wouldn't happen," she said, "We both worked very hard but after about a year, when we weren't working, we thought about getting away."

"Going back home?"

She shook her head.

"I couldn't ever go back…I wanted my parents to think I'd made a good life for myself not that I'd been a house servant. No, Miranda and were going to run away."

"Did you?"

She smiled.

"No…as it turned out, life has its own way of bringing deliverance…and mine came eventually. In the form of a young man."

Ethan paused for a long moment.

"Pierce Lawson…right?"

"Yes…he was a distant cousin of the lady of the manor," she said, "He dropped by occasionally to stay but never for very long. He was viewed as a black sheep…a rake. I suppose every family has one."

"Never outgrew that."

"No he didn't but when I first saw him, he seemed like someone who was filled with stories of a whole wide country out there. He'd had so many adventures and I wanted a part of that. He was nice too…not like his cousins who looked down on us."

"So you married him."

"Not right away of course," she said, "I was very young Ethan…I didn't know anything about what marriage meant. I just knew I was leaving…he became even more of a black sheep after that."

"I can imagine…"

She grew more somber.

"I had to leave…Miranda told me that I needed to go," she said, "and I left her there…with that family."

Ethan rested a hand on Amelia's shoulder and she looked up at him.

"What happened to her…?"

Amelia looked down at her hands.

"What should have happened to me…"

Then she got up and walked back into the house leaving Ethan sitting there puzzled.

* * *

Claire watched as Dakota talked to Stella. She knew that he'd taken a fancy to her mostly because she was pretty of course and wore nice dresses.

Dresses that Claire couldn't afford to buy even with her after school job.

"So you really want to marry Ethan?"

Stella smiled at Dakota.

"Sure do…I'll make a great wife for him," she said, "and a mother for the children who really need one."

Dakota sighed.

"But you really want to tie yourself down with a man and four children?"

She looked at him oddly.

"Are you trying to talk me out of it?"

He put his hands up.

"No…not at all," he said, "but you must be pretty desperate to want to get married to someone you barely know."

Stella's lip curled.

"Desperate…what do you mean by that?"

Dakota tilted his head.

"I mean to answer an ad like you're some mail order bride and then jump on a stage to Paradise."

She put a hand on her hip.

"Why not? It's as good as place as any to settle down."

"A woman like yourself might need more for entertainment than town picnics and rodeos."

She shrugged.

"I don't know…doesn't take much to amuse me," she said, "I don't know what you're getting at Deputy Marshal…"

"Call me Dakota…"

"Deputy Marshal but I've got to go head on back to the hotel if you're done with your questions…"

She walked to the hotel as Dakota watched, wondering what she was hiding.


	41. Chapter 41

Amelia walked into the bedroom and sat on the bed. She'd meant it when she said that she'd take the chaise tonight because Ethan could never sleep comfortably on it.

But she'd just walked out of there…and away from him. There were things she could never explain to him and her relationship with Miranda…it was just too complicated. When Ethan had courted her in a manner of speaking, they'd both known very little about each other, including where they were born, their parents…how they grew up. But Ethan had shared his own painful early years in piecemeal fashion, paring away each traumatic chapter with whoever from his past showed up to bring it back to life.

The man who'd shot his dear friend in front of him when he'd barely been Joseph's age. His foray into being an outlaw before he got set straight. His notoriety for never walking away from a challenge when he'd been starting out…his success coming back to haunt him when he grew older.

He'd known next to nothing about her because she didn't share any part of herself. She'd practically reinvented herself after marrying Pierce…so that others would look at her as a finely bred, socially trained young woman. She looked the part too because she had the money to buy the imported dresses and to decorate her house.

All those hours at the bank had paid off including after her husband had bailed on her. But Ethan had caught on before anyone else that she was a walking contradiction, what he called a woman of mystery or one he "just couldn't quite figure".

Tearing across the countryside on the back of a horse one moment, dressed up for a cotillion the next. She'd shot like a gun fit well in her hand and yet…she'd been upset when she'd killed a young man who'd tried to kill her and the children.

He'd thought her from England when they'd been spending the night out in the wilderness while looking for the children. Right before he tried to seduce her under the blanket until she made up some excuse about wanting to look picture perfect.

She just hadn't been as ready to share herself in that way with him as much as she thought. She had to trust him enough to share other parts of her first.

* * *

"Amelia…"

She looked up and saw him standing in the doorway looking at her.

"What is it Ethan?"

"You left all sudden…like you were upset."

She shook her head not wanting to get into it with him. She'd already said too much.

"I'm fine…it's just that I've never told anyone that I was a maid Ethan," she said, "I kept it secret after I married my husband."

"Why Amelia…it's nothing to be ashamed of…you were very young."

"Yes I was and I'm not ashamed," she said, "I'm just not proud of it either."

He paused as he walked into the room and sat next to her. She inched away to give him some space not wanting to be too close to him.

"We both did things we might not have wanted to do to survive Amelia," he said, "I did a lot of things I'm not proud of…things I regret to this day."

She softened.

"Ethan you were in such a dire situation…the things that happened to you were just unimaginable."

She'd cried for him after hearing some of his stories told in halting fashion shedding the tears he felt he couldn't himself. She held onto him as tightly as he could handle.

"I told you what I faced Amelia but you never told me about your life."

She shrugged.

"I'm an immigrant Ethan…not a citizen and my parents sent me here to get educated. They were led to believe that's what would happen to me. But the family that sponsored me just wanted a servant."

He digested that.

"And the master of the household wanted something more than that…"

Ethan narrowed his eyes.

"You mean he wanted you to…"

She nodded.

"I was going to be the latest in a long line of young girls that his wife didn't know about," she said, "Whenever I was alone with him…he made that clear."

She felt some raggedness work its way through her composure. But then who wanted to remember?

"Did he…."

She shook her head.

"No…I was able to stop him…or we were interrupted," she said, "but I wanted so badly to get out of there…if I wasn't going to be left alone."

"What about his wife?"

"What about her? She probably had some idea of her husband's proclivities but she kept busy with her social life…parties hosting them and attending them. Charity work."

"But you did leave…"

She nodded.

"Yes…I married Pierce," she said, "We left to do it because his family never would have approved. I thought he did it for me…to save me but it turned out he had his own reasons."

Ethan didn't look too surprised by that. He'd gotten to know her con artist of an ex-husband. Pierce had helped save his life but he'd caused problems for the two of them. Ethan had to practically extort Pierce to sign and hand over the divorce papers so Amelia could be free.

"It's not any prettier than that Ethan and I'd rather not say anymore."

He nodded, not about to push it past her limits. She smiled and palmed his face with a hand.

"You can take the bed," she said, "I'll be perfectly fine on the chaise."

He vetoed that quickly.

"No Amelia you got hurt," he said, "You take the bed."

"Barely…I'm just fine," she said, "I think I'd better turn in now. I'm tired and we have to ride back to Paradise tomorrow."

He sighed.

"Best head out early in the morning," he said, "so we can get back by sunset."

She smiled.

"Ah yes…who were you supposed to take to dinner tonight?"

"No one…this was more important"

"I don't want to stand in the way of your plans Ethan," she said, "I realize how much this marital plan of yours means to you. I don't blame you. You're moving on with your life and…"

Before she could finish, he'd leaned forward and damn it, if he didn't kiss her on the mouth. Just brushed her lips tentatively, then teasingly before making his intent known. Damn, the man could kiss too…and before she knew it, her hands had found their way on him so she could kiss him right back.

Oh this was so not what was supposed to happen but right now she just didn't care.


	42. Chapter 42

His kiss felt better than even those she remembered back when they'd been together so many months ago. His fingers pressing against her back, bringing her ever closer to him. Her own hands were on him, skating over his chest.

It'd been like they were never apart.

"Ethan…"

He didn't stop kissing her even when they broke for air. His lips soon found hers again. Damn the sweetness of it.

"What…?"

Then reality hit. She pulled away from him.

"I can't do this…we can't do this…"

He moved in for the kill again.

"Why not?"

Then the exquisiteness again, she found her resistance weakening but…no she had to be strong. After all whatever they shared was over, had been over for months and he'd moved on to courting two women to figure out which one he'd marry.

She pulled away again.

"Because everything's changed Ethan…you and I we're both different people now."

He moved a tendril of hair off her face and she wished that didn't feel so damn good.

"We've been apart so long and we're back together now."

She frowned.

"No…we're in the same place that's all," she said, "Ethan, you've got two women who want to marry. That's hard to keep up with."

He sighed.

"I missed you…so much…"

She nearly weakened at the inflection in his voice but no, she couldn't go down this path again…not when Miranda was in trouble out there somewhere.

"Ethan…I missed you. But I've got to focus on finding her. That's the only thing I can think of right now."

"We'll find her. I don't think she's far away."

She sighed.

"Maybe but when we get back to Paradise tomorrow, we'll start again with the wires."

He nodded so she got off the bed to move further away from the temptation that waited. He just watched her.

"Okay then, you take the bed and I'll sleep on the chaise."

"But Amelia..."

She remained firm with him.

"It'd be easy to try to go back…relive what we shared but it'd only wind up hurting both of us."

She left before he could respond.

* * *

Ethan lay back on the bed, thinking he should have pushed harder to sleep on the chaise. After all, he hadn't been injured by a bullet fired by a man trying to kill him. But Amelia wasn't anything if she wasn't stubborn. She'd put up all kinds of arguments and he didn't want to fight with her…he wanted to…but she'd made it clear that wasn't going to happen.

He knew she warred with her feelings for him including those that were physical. But she'd always been a strong woman, the strongest he'd ever known. Learning more of her past had given him some understanding about her.

Why she wanted to work so tirelessly to find her missing friend. She wouldn't stop until she did and she'd face up to all kinds of danger which was why he had to make sure nothing happened to her. It'd felt too good to kiss her just now, too close to coming home for him, maybe for her too and that's why she'd walked away. Damn, what was he going to do now? The two women…they paled next to her but he needed a wife to keep his family together.

And soon.

Something to remain in his mind as he fussed with his pillow to try to get to sleep before he could start thinking how much he wished it could be different.

Not the past but something so much better.

* * *

The morning broke over the house and Amelia got up to fix them something to eat before they headed back. The chaise hadn't been too bad, it's just that sleep hadn't come easily to her not after those kisses she shared with Ethan.

What he did to her…no she couldn't go down that path with him again. She'd faced up to who he was and what he did for a living but his life had become more complicated with this marital deal of his and what with her own search for Miranda and her baby. It'd be too easy to fall into temptation, the kind that if she succumbed she might not be able to walk away from again.

She wouldn't love anyone else but him. He'd become too much of what she wanted, the future she couldn't enjoy. After finding a pot, she cooked up some fresh coffee on the stove and found some smoked meat.

"Amelia….you up already?"

She turned around and saw him walking towards her.

"I'm just making us some food before we head on back."

He nodded and went to get some cups for the coffee.

"How'd you sleep?"

She smiled back at him.

"Just fine…the chaise is quite comfortable. What about you?"

He yawned.

"Slept well. How's your side feeling?"

"Good…thanks for last night."

Meaning his treatment of her injury, not for those kisses they shared, right?

He cleared his throat.

"I'm not sorry for what happened."

She glanced up at him from slicing the meat.

"Oh…you mean what happened?"

"I mean what started," he said, "We didn't get very far."

She sighed, handing him a cup after pouring the coffee from the stove.

"We got far enough Ethan. I meant what I said…"

"I know you've got to focus on finding your friend," he said, "We'll do that Amelia."

She sipped her own coffee finding it as strong as she needed right now.

"I know we will Ethan. I'm sorry I'm taking so much of your time…you've got your own life to live after all."

"No problem…it's my job to go look for missing people and catch outlaws."

She sighed.

"I'm so worried about her husband finding her," she said, "He's not a nice man Ethan."

"I gathered that by the way he acted about his wife. The fact that he's coming after you as an accomplice to kidnapping."

She chuckled but her eyes held no mirth.

"Maybe he's right. I told her to go into hiding Ethan," she said, "but he was hitting her. I know there's some who might think that what happens in a marriage is private but I couldn't watch them knowing."

"I had a woman once tell me that women shouldn't be treated as private property by their husbands."

She smiled, thinking that seemed so long ago.

"We'd better get moving…so we can get back."

The two of them finished eating before getting their horses ready to head on back to Paradise.


	43. Chapter 43

They reached Paradise and Amelia headed on home to change including looking at the wound on her waist. It looked better and she got ready to head down to the restaurant to get a bite to eat and talk to Mary.

She'd still couldn't believe that Ethan had kissed her like that last night. Out of the blue, like he had that time when it'd been their first kiss. When it came to that kind of thing, Ethan didn't say very much, didn't wax flowery prose like Pierce had done but he knew how to communicate in other ways. The way he touched her, the way his mouth felt on her own and…she'd start blushing if she thought of all the ways.

But she had to stop him. She couldn't go down that road again. The physical side of their relationship had never been the problem…it'd been the commitment part of it once she realized that his death from a gunfight would kill her.

Months later, she'd figured out that living a life in fear wasn't worth living at all and she had to come to terms with the fear that centered around him. But that didn't mean getting back together with him.

She left the house and ran into Stella and Edwina right away. They were talking just outside the postal/wire office. She knew that Ethan would be stopping by there to send wires.

"Did you see Ethan here?"

Stella threw her a disdainful glance.

"No…he's in his office talking with Dakota about the kidnapping of Miranda and her baby."

Amelia bit her tongue.

"Good…then maybe he's already sent them out."

Stella folded her arms.

"You really think that you are privy to what's going on with him? He's put your relationship with you in the past where it belongs."

Amelia smiled.

"Okay…but that's not why I asked about him," she said, "He's helping to find Miranda. We were looking for her yesterday. That's why we left Paradise."

Stella pressed her lips together.

"I see…well you didn't return until this morning," she said, "So that means you spent the night together someplace."

Amelia nodded.

"At Carlton and Miranda's other house…and it was just to sleep rather than ride all night in the dark."

Stella glanced at Edwina and shrugged.

"Of course, what else would you do? He's no longer interested in you anyway."

Amelia smiled at her.

"I'm interested in whether or not he helps me find Miranda…not in which one of you he picks to marry."

"I'm sure that's what you're saying," Stella said, "but you know that underneath it all, you wish he were still wanting to marry you."

Amelia shook her head.

"I couldn't marry him…and it has to do with me. Not with how fine a man he is because you won't find a better one out there. We're just two very different people. So you don't have to worry about me interfering with your contest for him."

Edwina nodded.

"That's right…one of us will be marrying him and he still hasn't chosen who yet."

Stella waved her hand dismissively.

"I think he knows already who he wants…he's just going through the motions until he's done with the selection process."

Edwina furrowed her forehead.

"So you're that sure that he's picking you?"

"I didn't say it. You did but now that you mention it, I must be the odds on favorite."

Edwina shook her head.

"Just because you dress in…provocative clothing," she said, "and you've been coming on to him like a saloon girl."

Stella scowled at her.

"Hardly…I can't help it if he's so attracted to my beauty and my charm," she said, "a common affliction in men I might add."

Amelia just listened in amusement. She thought Ethan would have his hands full with either one of them.

"I wish you two the best of luck," she said, "Either of you would be lucky to have a man like him."

Stella narrowed her eyes.

"It's not luck…it's going to be that I'm better at getting a man than she is…and I'll hold onto him much better than you did."

Amelia shrugged.

"Like I said, one of you will win a truly fine man."

Stella nodded.

"We'll plan for a wedding as soon as possible of course…to please the judge of course."

Amelia's eyes narrowed.

"Judge?"

Stella shrugged.

"That will work out just fine," she said, "and the new house will be finished by then."

Amelia thought back to the new house that Ethan had planned to build by the lake for her and the children before their own wedding. But it'd been burned down by someone who'd wanted to harm him, in fact Ethan nearly died in that fire.

That had been the beginning of the end for them as a couple…though neither admitted it at the time. But the way he kissed her last night…as if he'd missed her…she didn't know what to think about that.

Life had just gotten complicated.

* * *

John Taylor chuckled as Ethan related how the competition was going between the two women vying to be his wives. He listened carefully to the attempts that Ethan and Amelia had made to track down Miranda and her baby.

"We stayed overnight in the house…headed back today."

John Taylor nodded thoughtfully.

"How did that go?"

Ethan frowned.

"What do you mean?"

John Taylor gave him a pointed look.

"You and Amelia together by yourselves…it crept back up on you without you knowing didn't it?"

Ethan fell silent knowing that once again his oldest friend had read him all too well.

"I suppose you mean when I kissed her."

If that news surprised John Taylor, he didn't let on. He just kept smiling while Ethan fidgeted.

"Ah…the two of you both felt your past return then."

"Hardly John Taylor…she pulled away from me. Said she didn't want to go down that road again."

"I see…"

"Maybe she's right. I've got two women who want to marry me, who answered my ad and the children need a mother or I'm going to lose them."

John Taylor sighed.

"Could be worse. Could be between a rock and a hard place."

Ethan knew that but he couldn't forget last night either when he'd kissed her and had forgotten about his two prospective brides. Yet Amelia remained driven on the search for her friend and thought of nothing else. Certainly not him.

But he couldn't stop thinking about her.


	44. Chapter 44

Claire just kept entering the figures in the ledger for Axelrod. He'd been a bit grumpy with her before leaving to go pick up some deliveries.

Edwina walked in there to look for some new broaches. She had a dinner with Ethan later that day and wanted to look nice for him. She didn't think she could compete with the more flamboyant Stella but she knew that what she had to offer was more than just skin deep. More than just flashy clothes and a seductive manner.

Surely Ethan would see that and pick her.

"Hello, may I help you?"

She smiled at Claire.

"I'm looking for a broach to wear to dinner tonight. Something not too flashy but still nice."

"We have a nice collection of them in the middle section," Claire said, "Some newer ones came in this past week."

Edwina nodded and went to go peruse them. She thought something flowery would fit her outfit well. She had to do something as she sensed she was falling behind Stella in the contest.

Dakota walked into the store and walked up to the counter. Claire smiled at him.

"Hi what are you doing here Dakota?"

He grinned back at her in that easy going way he used on women. Well it wouldn't work on her.

"I'm here to pick up another deck of cards," he said, "Wore my last one out last night."

"Playing poker at the saloon?"

He nodded.

"Some travelers came to town and needed to be relieved of their money. So we played most of the night."

"And were they relieved of their money?"

Dakota's smile dimmed a bit.

"No…actually I have just enough to buy the cards and enter into the game tonight."

She shook her head at him.

"Don't you know that gambling's a bad thing that can lead to ruin?"

He just looked amused.

"Well Claire, I'm lucky you're around to tell me these things."

She flashed him a look of annoyance.

"They're in the middle section…"

He winked at her and walked over to where he saw Edwina sorting through the jewelry. She looked deep in concentration.

"Hi Edwina…nice running into you here."

She smiled at him.

"Hi Dakota…I'm just looking for a broach."

He nodded then perused the decks of cards.

"I wore out my last one."

"I see…I have a dinner with Ethan today and I want to look nice."

He furrowed his brow.

"You look just fine Edwina," he said, "Ethan's looking for a wife not a saloon girl."

She sighed.

"I know that but Stella, she's way ahead of me in everything…not the least of which is looks."

Dakota shook his head.

"Nothing wrong with you there," he said, "You're very pretty."

She smiled at that.

"Thank you…but I'm not really special next to someone like her," she said, "and she's got no shame, coming onto him even kissing him. That's just not proper is it?"

Dakota coughed.

"Well it depends on the circumstances…and the woman."

She put her face in her hands.

"Oh God, I knew it. I'm doing this all wrong aren't I?"

"No…you can only be yourself," Dakota said, "and do what feels right for you, not what works for someone else."

"I like him you know…as a person," she said, "He's very handsome but so are other men. He's just very nice."

Dakota arched his brows.

"What about me? I'm handsome and I've been told by some I can be nice."

She chuckled at him.

"Oh Dakota…you're very handsome…and you seem nice but you're not ready to get married to one woman now are you?"

She had him there.

"Nothing wrong with that…it's just that I came to Paradise to be a wife or try to be one," she said, "and you are happy enough with your saloon girls."

"Yes I am…and Ethan, I've tried to get him to have some fun too but he's not into that. He's a very serious man."

"Maybe a man knows when it's time to settle down."

Dakota grinned again.

"For Ethan it started with a woman…"

"You mean Amelia don't you?"

He nodded.

"He always had her in his sights since I met him," he said, "and now that she's back…I've been watching to see how she fits in this…contest."

Edwina frowned.

"Well she's his ex-fiancée. They went their separate ways and both seem to be happy. I don't see her trying to win him back."

Dakota shrugged.

"They've been spending a lot of time together?"

"Yes but he's the marshal helping her find her friend," Edwina said, "He's just doing his job right?"

Dakota sighed.

"I like you Edwina…and I'm not saying this to upset or hurt you honest. I'm saying it because I see more to it than that."

She paused not knowing what to think about that or to believe him.

"She's not my type but he seems to like her an awful lot."

She just shook her head.

"He wouldn't be seeking someone else to be his wife if he still wanted her would he? He'd be marrying her."

Dakota picked out his deck of cards from the shelf.

"Just telling you what I see…as a favor to you because you seem real nice."

She forced a smile on her face.

"Well thank you…but I think you're wrong and if I can just get him to look past Stella…I'll have a chance."

Dakota just shook his head and went to pay for his item. She just didn't think he could be right about Ethan…after all why hold a contest if he planned to get back with Amelia?

* * *

Amelia ran into Ethan who'd just slid off his horse and headed towards her.

"Ethan…"

He touched his hat.

"Amelia…how are you doing this afternoon?"

She gave him a pointed look.

"I'm doing just fine…what did you find out from the wires?"

He scratched the back of his neck. There'd been some humidity clinging to the valley along with the heat.

"Not much yet…just sent them out. Going to take a day or two so you should settle down."

Her eyes flashed at him.

"Settle down? No, I'm going to figure out where she would have gone Ethan and go find her."

He shook his head.

"You won't get anywhere that way," he said, "Just let me help you and stop being so stubborn…"

She put a hand on her hip.

"Stubborn? How can you say that Ethan? She's a close friend of mine…like a sister and she's in trouble."

He softened his tone.

"I know but I told you I'd help you find her," he said, "and we'll wait on those wires."

She relented, knowing he was right but feeling so frustrated. But then he had other distractions.

"This will give you more time to figure out which woman you're going to marry."

"I have dinner with Edwina later."

"You've got your work cut out for you…but it's good that you're moving forward."

He paused a long moment.

"I meant it."

"Meant what?"

And then reading his eyes she knew.

"Oh that…Ethan it just happened and I shouldn't have let it. It's not right…not when you have other plans."

"Plans that could be changed," he said, "if I didn't need to be married."

She narrowed her eyes.

"Need…what do you mean by that Ethan?"

He sighed.

"Nothing…I'll let you know when the wires come back."

"I want to check myself," she said, "Ethan I have to find them."

He reached with his hand and gently palmed her face.

"We will find them…I promise…."

Amelia looked up then and saw Matilda standing nearby watching them.


	45. Chapter 45

Amelia looked up at him.

"I know we will Ethan…I just want to find them before he does."

Meaning Carlton who had all these men at his disposal, men who'd been guns for hire like Ethan to track his wife and baby down.

Matilda approached them.

"Good day Mr. Cord, Amelia…"

Ethan and Amelia returned her greetings. She looked at them in something akin to reproachment.

"I didn't expect to see you here Mr. Cord."

Meaning with her. But then Matilda had always given her similar looks and sometimes barbed words when she'd spotted Amelia with Ethan while she'd been married to Pierce.

"We're talking business," he said, "Her friend that's missing…"

"Oh yes…the poor woman that was kidnapped away from her husband," Matilda said, "I do hope that he finds her."

Amelia and Ethan glanced at each other.

"Any idea where she might have been taken?"

Amelia interjected.

"No…we're just trying to find her first."

Matilda frowned.

"Shouldn't you leave that up to her husband to do?"

Amelia shook her head.

"She's my friend and I'm going to find her," she said, "We go back further than she and her husband."

Matilda wrinkled her nose.

"But he's her husband and thus responsible for her…she belongs to him."

Amelia looked directly at her.

"She doesn't belong to anyone…not even her husband."

Matilda shook her head.

"I don't understand you Amelia," she said, "You have some rather liberal ideas and they're just going to get you into trouble."

Ethan bit back a smile. Some things never changed.

"That might be so…but it still stands," Amelia said, "Some husbands horribly mistreat their wives and call it a private matter. The law still looks it that way…most of the time."

Ethan had learned not to abide by that rule anymore back when a friend of Joseph's had been a young bride of a judge who'd beaten her.

"It won't this time if that's what happened."

Matilda cast a dour look at him.

"Really Mr. Cord…you would challenge the integrity of one of the finest upstanding men in Virginia City who's done so much to improve it?"

He remained firm.

"Yes I would…there will be no husbands abusing their wives in Paradise and thinking they could get away with it."

"How can you say that about him? It' just here say."

Amelia shook her head.

"No…I saw him hit her. I saw the bruises and once…"

But she fell silent. Matilda just shook her head.

"I just think you're trying to stir up trouble where there's none," she said, "and bringing trouble to our fine town. He's a very powerful man where he comes from and he could make it hard for us."

Amelia knew that Carlton could make threats if he wanted but it wouldn't scare her…or Ethan for that matter.

"I'll keep that in mind," he said, "Now if you'll excuse us, we need to go."

They walked away from Matilda and headed in the direction of her house.

* * *

Stella ran into Edwina who had come out of the mercantile and they both headed back to the hotel. Edwina looked perturbed and she wondered if it had anything to do with Ethan. Had she finally seen the reality of day and realized she had no chance to beat out Stella for the role of his bride? Better to know now than wait until the end.

"What's the matter Edwina?"

The other woman sighed.

"I bought the broach but I don't think it'll matter at dinner tonight."

Stella smiled, guessing that Edwina finally realized the futility of winning over her.

"I know that it's tough but there are other men out there."

Edwina just looked at her.

"Oh well, I don't think either of us will have a chance with him."

Stella narrowed her eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that he's been spending most of his time with Amelia since she's been in town."

Stella scoffed.

"That's just until they find out what happened to her friend."

Edwina shook her head.

"I think he's still got feelings for her," she said, "I think that she's the one he wants to marry."

"I hardly think she's any competition for someone like me," Stella said, "He…and I, we even kissed the other night."

Edwina didn't look convinced.

"That was then…and the other night, he was out of town with her and didn't come back until the next day."

Stella waved a hand.

"That was just because he's a marshal," she said, "Amelia's not all that pretty you noticed…nothing like me or even you."

Edwina sighed.

"Thanks…but I think you're wrong," she said, "I think he's not thinking about either of us right now."

But Stella refused to believe it. She just knew that Ethan was going to marry her no matter what.

* * *

They reached Amelia's house.

"You'll tell me if you hear anything…"

He nodded.

"Course I will as soon as I know," he said, "You don't go taking off without me."

"Ethan I just want to find them both soon…I don't trust Carlton and his men."

He sighed.

"His men are going to be out looking…doesn't mean they'll find them."

But Amelia worried about it, what would happen if Carlton did catch up with his wife and took out his fury against her. She knew he could be a dangerous man.

"I don't want anything to happen to her. "

"I'll make sure that it won't…"

"It got ugly there before she left," she said, "She barely got away from him."

Ethan paused.

"But you helped her…"

She nodded.

"I helped with the baby too when it arrived…not that I knew what I was doing except what I saw on the ranch."

"You delivered her baby?"

"Not by myself…but mostly. I wasn't sure I could do it but I did."

He seemed to digest that.

"When I cleaned her up and handed her to Miranda….she fell in love with her child. It was almost magical Ethan."

He smiled.

"A mother's bond is quite powerful they say."

Amelia gave a slight shrug.

"I wouldn't know…"

"You will someday."

She just looked at him.

"How would you know? I don't think I'm getting married again."

"It's not because…"

She glanced away for a long moment and then looked back at him.

"It's because of many things Ethan," she said, "Now if you'll excuse me…"

She walked up the steps to go inside her house while he just watched.


	46. Chapter 46

Ethan couldn't figure her out. The woman who'd walked away from him just now. She'd just been talking to him about her close friendship with Miranda and how she'd delivered the woman's baby. He'd just mentioned that someday she'd have her own baby.

Surely she planned on getting married just like he would to Stella or Edwina. He needed a wife in order to keep his family together. Or the judge would take the children away from him and he couldn't have that.

Yet when he'd been in that cabin with Amelia and been kissing her, he'd forgotten all about his plans. That could be dangerous if it cost him his family.

He watched her go in the house but she didn't look back. She'd been so focused on helping her friend that he wondered if she'd thought about what it'd been like to be reunited again. He supposed he should be heading back to the office but he wondered if someone would try to come after her in her house.

Someone had taken a shot at her once. Set her up for it after killing her contact. Miranda's own brother and now they had no idea where to find her or the baby. But anyone messing with Amelia, messed with him as they'd find out soon enough. Their broken engagement didn't change that.

"Hey Ethan…"

He looked up and saw Stella walking towards him.

"I need to talk to you."

He stopped and she came up to him, dressed in something new that she must have just bought.

"What is it?"

She put a hand on her hip looking slightly indignant.

"Why've you been so scarce lately," she said, "I thought you wanted to pick yourself out a wife and a mother to the children."

"I do…I've been busy with my marshaling duties."

"You've been spending a lot of time with Amelia Lawson," she said, "I thought she was part of your past Ethan."

"She is…but she's got her friend that's in trouble."

She harrumphed.

"Matilda said that she's causing trouble for the woman's husband," she said, "and that he's a powerful player in Virginia City. Amelia might be helping a kidnapper."

Ethan shook his head.

"Someone tried to kill her," he said, "I know because I was there and Miranda's brother was shot to death because he cared about his sister being with her so-called fine husband."

"But if she's almost getting killed, then she's intruding where she doesn't belong don't you think?"

"Miranda's husband wasn't treating her very well," Ethan said, "She left to protect herself and her child."

"How do you know? Because Amelia told you?"

Ethan clenched his jaw.

"I trust her that she's knowing what's been going on," he said, "and she witnessed some of it."

"So what does that prove? Maybe Miranda deserved it. You're supposed to honor your husband not shame him."

Ethan narrowed his eyes.

"Not if he's abusive," he said, "A woman's not a man's property no matter what he might believe."

She sighed.

"That's not what law says and you know that."

"Doesn't make it right."

She just shook her head.

"I can't believe I'm hearing this," she said, "It's just crazy talk. Can't we get back to talking about the wedding?"

"I haven't chosen my wife yet."

"I know but you know I'm better than Edwina," she said, "Worlds better."

"Haven't decided yet. I'll tell you when I do."

She just shook her head.

"It's because of her isn't it," she said, "It's got nothing to do with Edwina. That's why you're following her down this crazy path. She's on a Wanted poster. How respectable does that make her?"

Ethan saw Dakota riding towards him and then the deputy slid off of his horse.

"What is it?"

Dakota glanced at Stella who stood there with her arms crossed.

"Carlton's sending out more men and they're heading to Stockton."

Ethan frowned.

"Does he think she's hiding out there?"

"Could be," Dakota said, "You know a man like that has informants everywhere."

Ethan guessed that to be the case. But did that mean that she was actually there? If so, he had to find her first before her husband did.

"He's guessing you or Amelia are going to try and stop him. Are you?"

Stella just shook her head.

"I can't believe that you're running off helping her," she said, "after how she treated you."

Dakota shook his head.

"You've got your work cut out for you when it comes to living a busy life."

Ethan just tried to think of a plan that he could use to find Miranda and keep Amelia out of danger. Not that she was going to like that much.

* * *

Amelia sighed as she poured herself some tea. Feeling awfully restless right now. She could sense that Miranda was in danger, that Carlton and his men might be closing in on her. She couldn't let that happen.

She knew that Ethan had sent wires out but didn't know if anyone would respond back. Miranda was hiding after all. She knew what her husband would do if he found her. One way or another, he'd try to take her baby away from her.

Try, because Amelia knew that Miranda would do whatever it took to stop him. But what if he sent a posse of men to do that for him?

No, she had to go find her and protect her, just as Miranda had done for her when she needed it. There were things she hadn't told Ethan about the past. She didn't know how he'd react but she just knew she couldn't turn her back on her friend.

Then things had to get so complicated with Ethan. Like when he'd kissed her the other night…though he couldn't blame that solely on him. She'd kissed him right back before she thought better of it. Not that it could happen again…she couldn't afford it. It'd distract her from what she had to do.

Besides he had two women who wanted to marry him which was much better than the one woman who couldn't marry him. Oh she wasn't afraid of him dying on her anymore because she now knew she'd been more afraid of herself than she could ever be of him.

Suddenly she thought of someone she could wire for more information. She had just enough time to do it before it closed if she hurried.

So she rushed outside to do it not knowing someone followed her.


	47. Chapter 47

Stella smiled at Dakota.

"You're not a bad looking man," she said, "What do you do for fun…besides go to the saloon?"

He just grinned back.

"What else is there to do in Paradise? We don't have anything but the saloons, the poker matches and some good carousing."

He winked at her.

"But then Stella, I imagine you know a thing or two about that."

She wrinkled her nose at him.

"What are you talking about? What are you implying anyway?"

He gave her a pointed look.

"I just know that you don't spend your Sundays in church…at least not until you came here looking for a husband."

She shook her head.

"You must have me confused with someone else," she said, "I'm a good woman…not one of the floozies that you like to hang with. Like I said, you're thinking of someone else."

Dakota lifted up a piece of paper.

"You're not named Stella…you're Estella Givens and you used to work in a saloon in Carson City owned by a man named Isaac."

Her mouth just hung open. She didn't know what to say to that.

"Why…why would you say such a thing? It's not true."

"Oh it's not? Well this Isaac claimed that one of his saloon girls took off with some of his hard earned cash. You wouldn't know about that would you…Stella?"

She pressed her lips in a firm line. How dare he throw around accusations against her character and why had he been trying to dig up information on her? All she was trying to do was land herself a husband so her basic needs would be taken care of…it got old scraping around on her own.

"You know Isaac don't you?"

She sighed.

"I might have heard of someone by that name…in Carson City but I don't know him."

Dakota pursed his lips.

"You don't seem so sure…about all the facts."

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"And what are those pray tell? If you're accusing me of something nefarious just come out and say it."

He paused.

"Stella…are you in some kind of trouble?"

She rolled her eyes at him.

"Depends on what you mean by trouble…okay so I spent some time in Carson City and maybe I worked for a while at a saloon but I didn't steal any money."

"You didn't?"

She shook her head.

"I don't steal…I'm not the woman in this town committing crimes. I mean Amelia Lawson gets to aid and abet in a kidnapping and nothing happens."

"She didn't do that," he said, "She's trying to find her. The woman's husband is the one who tried to hurt her."

"Because Amelia says so?"

"She's a good woman…even if she and Ethan never got married," he said, "He cares about her…I tried so hard to get him to go carousing with me and he never did that. Maybe in his younger days…"

She shook her head.

"Ethan cares about me. He's going to marry me and you can't stop us because I didn't steal Isaac's money."

Dakota whistled.

"So now you're on a first name basis with him?"

She hissed.

"No I'm not…it just slipped out," she said, "I barely know the man."

"Doesn't sound like it to me. And it won't to Ethan when I ask him."

Stella looked damn unhappy about that prospect, not scared but concerned. But she tried to blow it off anyway.

"Ethan won't hold anything against me," she said, "His own life wasn't perfect."

Dakota smiled at her.

"Then he'll be real understanding of your past won't he?"

She grew more agitated.

"I don't think he needs to know all of it," she said, "How much has he told me about himself? I don't even know where he was born."

"I don't know either…but I do know that he's liking women who are honest if strong willed."

She snickered.

"Like Amelia? I wouldn't want to be like her in my life. Her own husband left her high and dry probably because she drove him crazy like she nearly drove Ethan."

She started to leave him.

"Stella…it's not just going to fade away," Dakota said, "Ethan's going to find out before the wedding if he even picks you. That's not a given because Edwina's kind of pretty too and seems very nice."

"I can be nice."

"I think it's a quality that needs work right up there with honesty."

She turned her heel on him right then and stomped off. He couldn't help but be amused by that.

* * *

Amelia caught up with Ethan.

"Did you hear anything?"

He looked at her as they stood in front of his office.

"It's too soon. I told you I'd tell you when I did."

"I know but I'm worried about her…and the baby," she said, "They've been alone and if he finds them…I don't want to think what'll happen."

"He'll try to get the baby back and punish her in some way. I've seen men like that before in my line of work."

"So have I…"

He tilted his face.

"Meaning Carlton…or back when you and Miranda were working as maids?"

She didn't hesitate.

"Both."

"Amelia…what did she stop from happening to you?"

She shook her head.

"It's the past Ethan…I want to focus on the here and now."

He backed off.

"Okay but it's bothering you, just tell me about it."

"No point, nothing happened because she stopped it."

He frowned.

"Stopped what?"

She furrowed her brows.

"I just wish we could find them."

"We will Amelia…I'll make sure of it. I'm thinking someone's seen her. Someone that might not go running to her husband…or know him to do that."

Amelia hoped so but she couldn't be sure. Carlton wasn't only powerful and had tendrils of influence in faraway places, he was sneaky. Ethan didn't know that yet.

"I know you will Ethan. I'm sorry if I implied otherwise."

He took a step closer to her and she felt the difference. It made her nervous but in an entirely bad way.

"I'm happy you're here Amelia…I missed you a lot."

"Ethan…that's not what I meant to happen."

"I know that…I just needed to tell you that."

She arched a brow at him.

"Why? Why does that matter now?"

"I think I showed you the other night."

Meaning when he'd kissed her…and she'd kissed him right back.

"I can't do that with you…and why did you kiss me when you're courting two women?"

He paused.

"I just did it…I didn't stop myself and I didn't want to do that."

She pursed her lips.

"I could see that but you've got this whole wedding thing and I've got to find my friend. I don't think I can believe any differently."

He reached out to stroke her face.

"I think you can…but first we're going to find Miranda and her child."

"And then…"

He smiled at her.

"We'll see what happens."


	48. Chapter 48

Amelia was left to ponder Ethan's last words to her. She knew that he'd promised to pick up where they left off after they'd found Miranda and the baby. She just didn't know how to feel about that…after all, it'd hurt them both when she'd left town on that stagecoach.

She didn't expect that to magically go away when she returned. She'd not been sure Paradise had been the right choice though it seemed the safest for her friend. But safe for her when it came to her and Ethan?

Probably not. When he'd kissed her the other night, it'd had tasted of sweetness but more than hinted at danger. Not the same that Miranda faced but the kind where she knew she might surrender to the feelings deep inside of her about the only man she'd ever loved.

She'd loved him so fiercely. She'd risked her life for him and she'd gone through whatever it took even appealing to her devilish ex-husband to save him from his past life as a gunfighter. That was what she'd run away from, she'd told herself but she'd really ran away from her feelings about him.

Kissing him back had been too easy and she'd wanted so much more than that. She'd wanted him to peel her clothes off of her so she'd do the same for him, frantically as they disrobed to bury themselves in each other's arms. Her favorite place to be was with his arms wrapped around her, feeling the beat of his heart against her cheek, the warmth of his skin and the way he possessed her with more than his body.

It made her gasp to think about it while she watched him leave her. Miranda had to come first because her friend had saved her.

At a high cost to herself. She had been forced to be the mistress of the lord of the manor so that Amelia could leave with Pierce. He hadn't been a savoir but he'd gotten her away from a man who wanted her to serve the needs that his wife had denied him. He'd trapped her in the sunroom pinning her against the wall, kissing her mouth while his hands roamed her body.

If it hadn't been for Alice, the housekeeper…she didn't even want to think about it. She knew she couldn't stay there.

A cup of tea was what she needed right now. She needed to get her mind off of her friend just long enough to get some sleep and she couldn't think about Ethan and what she wanted to do with him. He was trying to choose between two eager women to be his wife.

Marriage, the last thing Amelia wanted right now. She'd used it to escape a lecherous man and she didn't need escape right now. Besides, she and Ethan…they'd never worked it out anyway. She prepared her tea and planned to sit on the chaise in her parlor drinking it, trying not to think too much about topics best kept at bay for now.

* * *

Ethan stood there as Stella paced in front of him.

"You weren't here Ethan…Dakota…he just doesn't like me," she said, "I think he's in cahoots with Amelia to drive me crazy."

Ethan felt perplexed.

"Why would he do that?"

She just stared at him.

"Because…because…you and I have a beautiful thing going here," she said, "and I know that Amelia is just jealous."

He frowned at her.

"Amelia's more concerned about finding Miranda than anything else."

She shook her head.

"I'm reading her right Ethan and Dakota…he's threatening to make trouble for me and I don't know why."

"What did he say?"

She shrugged.

"Just that he'd expose me for supposedly stealing money from a saloon owner in Carson City…but I'm innocent Ethan. You know I'd never do anything like that."

Truth is he didn't know her that well. But he didn't know that there'd been anything suspicious about her.

"Is he…right?"

She just looked at him.

"Do you believe him Ethan?"

He saw how indignant she looked and knew he'd have to talk to Dakota.

"I know there are things I've done…I'm not proud of Ethan but I'm not a thief…I was just trying to survive that's all."

He sighed.

"Is that why you answered my ad?"

She bit her lip.

"Well…no not exactly," she said, "Okay maybe partly but when I got off the stage and then I saw you…everything changed in a flash. I knew that we were meant to be together."

He saw the plaintiveness in her eyes.

"Stella I haven't made my choice yet."

She pouted on her lower lip.

"Oh you know you want me. When we kissed the other night…"

Ethan thought about a kiss but it wasn't that one.

"I shouldn't have done that," he said, "I'm sorry but I barely know you."

She flashed a smile.

"Oh come on Ethan…you know that's not true," she said, "You and I…we're so meant to be together. We could really be happy."

He stepped back from her.

"I don't feel the same way Stella," he said, "This marriage is just so I can raise the children in my house. I don't want the judge to take them away."

Her face grew somber.

"You can't be serious," she said, "You can't be so in denial about what's going on between us."

Ethan didn't understand what she was talking about…when he'd kissed her, he'd gone cold because he'd been thinking about another woman.

This wedding plan of his was looking like a mistake.

* * *

Amelia drank her tea and thought about what Carlton had threatened to do with Miranda if she betrayed him. He'd tried to beat her up and Amelia had blocked a blow he'd aimed at his wife after he'd broken a scotch bottle.

Her hairline covered it. Her secret, along with the many that Carlton kept from those who surrounded him. His power and wealth afforded him those privileges. He kept his more violent side behind closed doors.

She felt sleepiness threaten to take her over and headed up to bed. She wondered what Ethan was doing right now. Spending time with either Stella or Edwina, she imagined. It was much better not to think about him and how her lips felt after kissing him.

Tomorrow he'd surely come to her with news from the wires sent out and then they'd have to figure out what to do next.

She couldn't afford to let her feelings for him get in the way.


	49. Chapter 49

Claire watched as Edwina and Stella walked up to the restaurant to eat breakfast. Claire had dropped by to talk to Mary before heading off to school.

The boys had ran off to play with the other children when they jumped off the buggy. But after picking up some fresh muffins from Scotty to take to the children, she stopped by the table where Stella and Edwina sat eating.

"Good morning…I see you're up early."

Both women looked at her. Edwina smiled.

"Yes, I was doing some reading this morning and I'll be doing some sewing later on. I picked up some fabric at the mercantile."

Stella sniffed.

"I have to go check to see If have any mail from back in Carson City," she said, "I'm sending for some of my things."

Claire's eyes widened.

"You're planning on staying in Paradise."

"Why yes…to marry your uncle. I just know that he's going to pick me."

Edwina sighed.

"You don't know that. Neither of us know who he's going to pick yet. It might not be you Stella."

The other woman scoffed.

"I know it'll be me. There's something between us that can't be denied."

Claire looked puzzled.

"But Uncle Ethan doesn't talk about you back home," she said, "He's not mentioned you once. Oh wait, he's mentioned Edwina once…but he doesn't talk about you."

Stella looked perturbed by that statement.

"I don't think he tells you everything in his life. Just what you need to know. After all, you're still a child."

Claire shrugged.

"I'm just telling you what's happening. Not to hurt your feelings or anything."

Stella harrumphed.

"Well you still don't know anything and he's a grown man, there's going to be parts of his life he won't hare with children."

Claire smiled.

"Whatever you say. I'll tell him that I ran into both of you. He said something about having a mid-day meal with Edwina."

Stella looked over at Edwina who beamed.

"Oh yes…we were supposed to do that yesterday but he had to cancel. He had to help Amelia find her friend."

Stella rolled her eyes.

"Amelia again? She should be off looking for Miranda elsewhere and not here. Let Ethan get on with his life."

Claire sighed.

"He's just trying to help her. He still cares about her no matter what happened."

Edwina nodded.

"That's well and good. It shows he's a compassionate man who can move on from a painful past."

Stella wiped her mouth with her napkin.

"He's going to move on with me," she said, "I just know it. The rest of it is just formality."

She got up to leave while both Claire and Edwina watched her go.

Edwina resumed eating.

"She seems very confident in herself. I wish I had that."

Claire didn't seem concerned.

"I know my uncle and he's going to help Amelia no matter what."

* * *

Amelia woke up and got dressed before heading to the post office. She wanted to check for wire messages even though Ethan told her that not enough time had passed.

She'd dreamed about when Miranda had her baby. It'd come unexpectantly when her husband had left her battered after another argument. One he started because she looked at him wrong, or didn't respond quickly enough to one of his questions.

Amelia didn't remember. Her own reaction had been to try to get Miranda out of Virginia City but the baby had other plans.

She didn't know how to deliver human babies. She'd helped deliver foals and calves when living in Australia but people…still somehow she'd known what to do. Miranda had calmed down with her coaching and the baby had practically fallen into her hands. Slippery, wet and at first very quiet…but after she cleared out its mouth and toweled it dry it started crying.

She cleaned up the baby girl and handed her off to her exhausted but grateful mama who'd bonded with her straight off.

It'd been one of the most beautiful and pivotal moments in her own life. She'd never had babies of her own, not with Pierce certainly. He'd seemed too much of a little boy refusing to grow up himself to take responsibility with a new life.

One of the blessings of her marriage was that she hadn't gotten pregnant. Or so she'd thought until she delivered her first baby. Then she wondered if she'd missed out on something special…but then when her husband left, what would she have done?

"I'd have raised it on my own…"

Greta looked up from where she'd been taking a message on the telegraph.

"What is it Amelia?"

Her skin flushed. She hadn't meant to say it out loud.

"Oh nothing…is there anything for me?"

Greta looked through the messages, then pulled one out.

"Here's one…from a man named Butler…"

Amelia frowned. She didn't know anybody by that name. But she read the message which said for her to meet him at a hotel in San Francisco.

She nearly dropped it. It had to have something to do with Miranda. Had she really made it that far and how?

"Thank you…"

She left the wire office to go find Ethan. She located him in his office.

"What is it Amelia?"

She dropped the message on his desk.

"It says to meet him in San Francisco," she said, "and I'm going there tonight."

He frowned.

"Oh no you're not Amelia. Not by yourself and not without me."

She put a hand on her hip.

"Ethan he didn't give us much time."

"He gave us enough time," he said, "and we don't know if he's who he claims. It could be a trap."

"I considered that Ethan but I've got to go anyway," she said, "I'd feel better if you went with me."

He nodded.

"We'll ride out to the train station day after tomorrow," he said, "I have to arrange for someone to watch the children and make the arrangements."

She nodded.

"That seems fair enough," she said, "you know if you need someone to look after the children, I have a good idea."

"What?"

She smiled.

"Why don't you have both Stella and Edwina tend to them? The children won't be left alone and it'll give them a taste of what that part of being married to you."

Ethan considered it.

"I might try that. But I haven't decided which one to marry."

"You will Ethan…I know it…and I know you'll be very happy."

She started to walk away because she had a lot to do in the next day before they left for San Francisco.

"Amelia…"

"What Ethan?"

"I'm happy that we're working together to find her."

She nodded.

"So am I Ethan…"

_More than you know_, she thought as she walked away.


	50. Chapter 50

Amelia and Ethan took seats on the train that would take them to San Francisco by the next day. They had traveled by stagecoach and arrived in time to buy tickets to get aboard the train.

It hadn't been easy to get to this point in their journey. Ethan had done as Amelia suggested and asked Stella and Edwina to stay at his house and look after the children while they were gone. He agreed that it'd help them get a taste of what life would be like in the household when he wasn't there.

Stella hadn't been too thrilled in the beginning. She'd asked him why he had to leave town in the first place…and why he had to leave with _her_.

"We got information that Miranda might be out that way and got to check it out."

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"But why Ethan…we're so busy getting to know each other right now," she said, "Why interrupt that by doing a job that plenty of marshals could do in that city?"

"I promised Amelia I'd help her find her friend."

Stella made a face.

"You might be helping a criminal. How do you know Carlton's not right? That she's aiding and abetting a kidnapping?"

"I know Amelia and she'd never do that. I don't know Carlton and why he's sending out men killing people around his wife…like her brother."

"You don't know that for sure do you?"

"No…but I'm pretty sure he's up to something," he said, "and I'm not letting Amelia face what's out there by herself. I'd not be doing my sworn duties as a marshal if I let her go alone."

She sighed.

"I don't get it. She can find help elsewhere…hire a gunslinger to protect her while she goes out West. She doesn't need a lawman."

"Miranda and her baby need a lawman," he said, "and I'm going out there to find them. But I need you and Edwina to look after the children why I'm gone."

Stella hedged.

"I don't know…I never looked after children. What if they don't like me?"

"They'll do as I tell them…and I'll make sure they know I left you in charge."

She still looked uneasy.

"Beside Edwina will be there to help you," he said, "and I can tell John Taylor to keep an eye on the house too…give you a hand if you need one."

She didn't look convinced.

Edwina looked happier.

"Oh Ethan of course I'll look after them," she said, "I love children…and I can handle all ages."

He felt some relief that she seemed to handle it better than Stella.

"Claire will help you if you need it…and John Taylor…"

She smiled at him.

"Oh we'll be fine," she said, "Stella and me…we can handle four children for a while. How long will you be gone?"

He hedged.

"I'm not sure…depends on what we find in San Francisco but it might be at least a week. I'll leave the account open at the stores in town in case you need anything."

That part of the news had perked Stella up a bit but Edwina just shrugged.

"We'll be fine," she said, "I might get some sewing done."

He nodded and then he left to begin getting ready. When he'd actually left the household, Claire had told him not to worry in her no-nonsense manner and the boys had told him they'd do their chores and would John Taylor be there to take them fishing and tell them stories.

* * *

Amelia and he had left the following day to begin the journey. The stage coach ride had been bumpy but they'd packed lightly and the driver assured them they'd reach the train station in time.

A wheel had nearly fallen off up in the foothills so Ethan had helped the man put it back on while Amelia had talked to another passenger, Edith who was going to take a train to Chicago to meet her grandchild. They'd walked to the creek and sat on the grassy banks talking while the men got the stagecoach back working.

They'd made up most of the time and when they got to the train station, they purchased tickets in what was called a Pullman car. Amelia knew someone in charge of the railroad who'd gotten them the car without further cost…to pay her back on a bank loan when she'd been in Reno.

"It's like a small room," he said, "about the size of the shed."

"Some of the railroad bigwigs have slept here," Amelia said, "It's converted into a sleeping area at night."

He helped her put her luggage up and then they sat on the seats. They'd bought some food from the dining car and it proved delicious.

"You think this man will help us or is it a trap?"

Ethan sighed.

"Not sure yet…we might want to hire some help when we get there or at least ask around about this Butler guy."

She frowned.

"I don't know if I heard the name before…unless he's from Pierce's crowd perhaps. Or how Miranda would know him. She didn't mention him to me."

"We'll find out. If it's someone trying to hurt her, they might have her and be trying to get a ransom."

She shivered.

"I hope not…Ethan she's been through so much already and if it's ransom…then this Butler person might contact Carlton too. He might be on his way there…he could have men on this train."

Ethan nodded. He'd thought of that and he'd cased the train car that they were in and the dining car. But he didn't see anything obviously suspicious. He guessed any trouble would be waiting for them when they arrived in the city.

"I'm glad you're here Ethan."

He smiled at her.

"Me too…whatever happens Amelia…I'm going to be here helping you."

She rubbed his shoulder.

"Thank you…I told Miranda all about you," She said, "I can't wait for you two to meet."

"Seems like a very nice lady…"

"She is Ethan and I owe her so much…I owe her in ways I could never repay her."

He fell silent then. She knew she'd left him with unanswered questions about her past but she didn't want to go back there.

The train kept moving and Amelia just closed her eyes…hoping they'd get to San Francisco on time.


	51. Chapter 51

Stella wanted to scream and it was only the first day. She and Edwina had packed up a few things and had moved into Ethan's house to care for the children left behind when he went off marshaling.

She'd agreed to it because she wanted to win this competition and be his wife. Okay, she knew she had a huge lead over Edwina but why not stamp herself the winner by accomplishing this latest test?

A piece of cake surely after all the things she'd faced in her life or so she thought. Edwina had warned her that looking after children only looked easy but Stella had just dismissed all that. She knew what she had to do to win and she'd do it.

After she married Ethan, she'd find a way to persuade him to send them all away to school. Finishing school for Claire and military academy for the boys. From the looks of it, Ben and George who acted like young ruffians half the time could definitely use a firmer hand.

Claire walked into the kitchen where Stella had decided to tackle scrambled eggs made from eggs that Ben and George had collected from the coop that morning.

"What is it now?"

"Ben spilled the milk in the dining area," Claire said, "I'll clean it up and you finish the bread okay?"

Stella narrowed her eyes at Claire once again dictating orders to her but Edwina aided and abetted in that by fetching the bread to heat up over the stove. She'd have a word with her about who was in charge after breakfast.

After their chores, Ben and George had been running ragged with some puppy that Stella hadn't known existed until now.

"Dog goes outside of the house…now."

They paid her no mind until Claire put her hands on her hips and ordered them to take pup and their wildness outside until it was time to eat. Of course they obeyed her. Something was definitely wrong in this household and Ethan would just have to change it when he returned.

Before the wedding.

Edwina smiled.

"Isn't this fun Stella? Reminds me of when I was growing up."

Stella forced a smile.

"Oh yes…I just love it," she said, "I can't wait to be living here full-time."

Edwina's smile dimmed.

"You haven't won yet. He's not made up his mind has he?"

"Oh not officially," Stella said, "but it's just a formality Edwina…you know that."

"We'll see who he picks. It's not over until it's over and who knows? He might pick me."

Stella doubted that but knew Edwina just said that to keep her own hopes alive. Stella knew she'd taken the lead and it was only widening.

Then both women heard something crash to the floor.

* * *

Amelia struggled to get comfortable in her side of the bunk. She had a pillow and a thin blanket to put over herself. They both wore their clothes and he'd promised to behave himself.

"Hands to myself…got it."

She bit back a smile. After all, most likely he was thinking of the two women vying to be his bride back home.

"I wonder how Edwina and Stella are faring."

Ethan yawned stretching his own body out.

"I'll wire them in a day or two," he said, "to find out. But I'm sure everything's fine and it'll give them some practice."

"You sure they'll be ready to look after the children…when you're gone."

He paused.

"I hope so…that's one of the requirements. My children need a female role model…I was told."

"Well that makes sense Ethan…but who told you that?"

He paused even longer.

"The circuit judge…someone…a distant cousin challenged the arrangement and I had to go to court."

She sat up.

"You didn't tell me that Ethan…how awful. You're the best parent they could ever have since Lucy died. How can any judge think of placing them elsewhere?"

He sighed.

"Well one did and I'm not about to let that happen…not ever."

She knew he meant it. Nothing stood between Ethan and the children…they'd more than grown on him, they'd become his life whether he fully realized it or not.

"So is that why you put in the advertisement for a wife?"

"Yes…well mostly…"

"Mostly?"

"I think it's about time I settled down and got married…the children to have a mother and maybe some other children down the line. I'm not getting any younger."

She smiled.

"Ethan…you'll do fine if that's what you want."

"What about you?"

She sighed.

"I tried marriage and it didn't work for me," she said, "I'm too independent to be the property of any man who never grew up like Pierce."

"He didn't deserve you Amelia."

She shrugged.

"I used him and he used me, that's all. I needed so much to get away from that house. Before…well at least I got away and I'm grateful to him for that…I can almost forgive the rest."

Ethan appeared to digest that and she wondered if she told him too much.

"We'd better get to sleep," she said, "We'll get off the train tomorrow and have to find the hotel."

They'd picked out one to be their home base while in the city looking for Miranda.

"Ethan are you okay with it?"

"Okay with what?"

She almost didn't want to say it.

"Pretending that we're engaged," she said, "It'll attract less attention."

"I came up with the idea didn't I? I can do it if you can and it's the best plan like you said."

"It's just for show…"

"I know."

"We won't do anything that will put your search for a wife in danger back in Paradise."

He yawned again.

"I'm not worried about that Amelia," he said, "Just in making sure we find Miranda and her baby before Carlton and his men do."

"You think they're here already?"

"I don't know. I'm thinking we'll find out soon enough."

She closed her eyes not wanting to think of what might happen if they hadn't gotten here in time. But she trusted the man lying next to her.

Close but not too close.

She closed her eyes and felt weariness begin to permeate through her.

"I just want to help her…like she helped me…"

Ethan watched her in the darkness sensing that someone else besides Miranda and her child needed to be helped her.


	52. Chapter 52

Ben got up in the middle of the night wanting to go find the puppy. He woke up George who wiped his eyes.

"Where are you going?"

"I g..got to find h..him."

George tilted his head.

"He's outside…by the barn," he said, "You know Uncle Ethan doesn't want him in the house."

"He's no…not here is he? He m…might be lonely out there."

George sighed and removed the covers to climb out of bed.

"Okay…but we've got to be real quiet," she said, "Claire hears us…she'll tell Uncle Ethan when he gets back."

Ben sighed.

"Uncle Ethan's g…got more im…portant work helping Amelia…"

George nodded.

"She needed him…when's he coming back?"

Ben just shrugged.

"Okay then…but let's be real quiet okay?"

The two boys got up and crept out of the bedroom. The rest of the house was silent. The two women looking after them were sharing Ethan's bed. They moved into the living area towards the front door, but when Ben stepped forward, a loose floorboard creaked. They both stopped and George put his finger on his lips.

"Shhh…be quiet. You don't want to wake up people and get in trouble…that one lady looks real mean."

Ben made a face.

"St…Stella."

"Yeah her…like a wicked witch," George said, "she was cross when you spilled milk at supper."

Ben nodded.

"I l…like Edwina…she's n…nice."

George agreed. Edwina had stayed up after cleaning up in the kitchen and had helped Claire with her lessons. Stella had just been muttering about how small the cabin was…how cramped she felt in Ethan's bedroom.

"She's gonna be our mama?"

Ben shrugged.

"D…on't know George. Don't need a mama."

George sighed.

"I wanna a story at night," he said, "and fresh cookies and cakes…like mama used to make."

They both reached the front door and were just about to open it when suddenly they heard footsteps behind them.

"And where do you think you're going?"

They turned slowly around in unison and saw Stella standing there with her hands on her hips. She had some cloth on her head, covering her hair.

"N…o where…"

George just looked at her.

"We want Wolfie… he's alone outside."

She narrowed her eyes.

"That dog is supposed to stay in the barn," she said, "Our uncle said so now you need to go back to your beds. You have a school day tomorrow."

George protested.

"But…I heard a noise…"

"That's probably Wolfie…he's guarding the chickens."

Ben and George looked at each other.

"He's t…too small…"

George nodded in agreement.

"He's scared of the dark."

Stella scowled at the both of them.

"You two stop all this nonsense and get back into bed," she said, "or I'll report back to your uncle when he returns."

"But…"

"No buts George…"

Ben rolled his eyes.

"I t…told you she's n…not nice."

Stella scrunched up her mouth.

"I am nice…to everyone but unruly children," she said, "now off to bed."

She left them and they grumbled as they headed back to their bed.

"She's not very nice," George said, "She better not be our mama…"

Ben nodded.

"I h…hope not," he said, "I'll r…run away if she is…"

George furrowed his brows.

"I will to and Wolfie will come with us…"

They both thought as they headed back to their beds that it sounded like a plan.

* * *

Claire whispered to Joseph after running into him in the kitchen later that night.

"I don't know about these women," she said, "I mean I like Edwina. She seems real smart but Stella…she's got a bad temper."

He sighed.

"Uncle Ethan's looking for a wife isn't he? I don't think either of them is right for him."

Claire narrowed her eyes.

"I know he's just doing it to keep us all together," she said, "Because he loves us and we're a family so that means we're going to have to help him."

Joseph didn't seem to like that.

"Why? If they can't handle it they should go back to where they came from."

She shook her head.

"Don't you get it? If neither of them work then we're going to be taken away from Uncle Ethan. Do you want that Joseph?"

He paused.

"No I guess not," he said, "but I don't need a mama anyway."

"The judge told Uncle Ethan that we need one," she said, "and his word is law. Nothing we say matters so we got to help him."

He paused even longer but finally nodded.

"Okay but I still think it's wrong…"

* * *

_Amelia saw him walk towards her when she was in the library pulling out a book to take a closer look. She looked up at him._

_"I didn't see you come in…"_

_He smiled at her, dressed in his business suit, looking very much like a gentleman. It didn't go any deeper than his clothing. She eyed the door._

_"How long have you been here?"_

_She put the book down._

_"Not long…I just wanted to get a book to read," she said, "I'll be back to work cleaning the kitchen right now."_

_He stepped forward._

_"Not right now…you don't need to rush," he said, "I'll tell them you were helping me."_

_"Helping you?"_

_He smiled at her but his eyes were dark._

_"Come on…you know you're very pretty and right now, pretty is exactly what I need…"_

_She couldn't step backward without hitting the shelf._

_"But I told you…I can't…"_

_He stepped forward._

_"You will…or I'll give you to someone else…"_

_She gritted her teeth._

_"You mean sell don't you?"_

Amelia bolted up in her bunk, waking up suddenly. Her heart thudding inside her chest. Darkness surrounded her and she heard and felt the train's movement along the tracks. The outline of scenery flashed by the window…meaning there must be a moon outside. Ethan moved next to her.

"Amelia…you awake?"

She tried to calm her breathing.

"I…I just woke up. I'm sorry…"

"Sorry about what? You okay there?"

She didn't say anything…she just focused on settling down. She'd taken herself right back to the past…in the city that she'd be arriving at soon enough.

"I'm fine Ethan…we better get some sleep."

He leaned up and looked at her.

"You sound shaken up Amelia. What's going on here?"

"Nothing…let's just go back to sleep," she said, "We have a long day coming up."

"You sure you can do that? Fall asleep?"

She nodded.

"I'm just…I just had a dream that's all," she said, "about Miranda and I…well actually I was in the library and something scared me a little."

That put him on alert.

"Scared you? Amelia, what's going on with you and Miranda? This goes back to when you were younger doesn't it?"

She nodded again.

"Ethan it's just not the most pleasant period of my life," she said, "and seeing San Francisco…it's bound to bring some of that back. I'm fine."

"I don't believe you Amelia…but when you're ready to tell me about it, I'll be here," he said, "No matter what happened with us…I'm still your friend. That'll never change."

God, when he spoke like that she wanted to tell him everything…but some of it…how would he judge her? How would he look at Miranda, the woman they were both trying to help before it was too late.

She had no way of knowing so for now at least she kept quiet.


	53. Chapter 53

Oops on the other chapter 53 which was for another story! Fixed it. Thanks for reading and the feedback!

Ethan had wanted to wrap his arms around her after she woke up from what was clearly a nightmare but he kept his hands to himself. He didn't know how she'd take what had seemed like an immediate reaction by him. So much had happened since they'd last been wrapped up in each other's arms. He couldn't think of a nicer place to be.

She fell back asleep…they both did until sunlight streamed through the window. Day had come and only a few more hours of traveling until they reached San Francisco. They'd head to the hotel to drop off their things and then to the nearest Marshal station. Any way of getting a lead on Miranda…it was the right place to start but if they heard about her there, it'd most likely be bad news. Meaning she was arrested, hurt or in the morgue.

"It's been years since I've been back," she said, "I thought about it while traveling but I didn't want to see it."

"I've been here over the years…mostly on business. It's gotten pretty large of a city."

Much different than Paradise or even a more industrious place like Virginia City. She'd left it with Pierce to get away and now she was back with the man she almost married.

"You hungry?"

She nodded.

"There's food in the dining car," she said, "We can go get some before it's time to get off."

"The hotel's not too far away from the station…"

She smiled.

"It's quite nice," she said, "We got a good price for it too…as long as we need to stay."

She'd had an old friend who'd owned a small cluster of hotels and boarding houses who she'd wired before leaving and he'd said a suite would be waiting for them.

"I met Thomas when he dropped by the house for a couple of parties," she said, "He's very kind and I gave him some suggestions when he asked."

He digested that. He often wondered what Amelia had been like growing up. She had to be pretty her whole life…even before growing into a woman. She worked hard, he knew that and she was loyal to those she cared about…if it hadn't been for her, his life would have ended more than once. She'd saved the lives of the children without thinking of her own…even from his own gunfire. She would have made him the best wife he knew if it'd just worked out between them.

But she didn't seem to want marriage anymore. She felt burned by it and so that left him looking elsewhere. Stella and Edwina…which would he pick? He remembered that he had to wire Paradise to find out how they were doing. John Taylor said he'd help with that and would keep a discreet eye on the ranch which made Ethan feel better about leaving.

"The children…"

"We can send a wire first thing after we leave the hotel," she said, "If I remember, there's a wire office just down the block."

"I hope that they're behaving."

"Claire will keep them in line if no one else will Ethan. It's a good test for the women who wish to marry you."

There was a hint of humor in her voice which made him tense. She clearly respected what he was trying to do but he supposed she wondered whether the women could handle a life with him.

"Claire's had to do way too much already. If it weren't for her…I don't know what I'd do most of the time and that's an awful lot to put on someone so young."

"Claire's smart though and she's fiercely protective of family," Amelia said, "She resisted me when I tried to help her at first…though maybe she was right."

He frowned.

"Right?"

"You know…It's not like I stuck around when it got tough Ethan," she said, "I'm not proud of that and leaving. I just didn't know what else to do."

He paused. He didn't hold that against her. Oh, he'd been hurt and not happy but when John Taylor told him she'd be back, he trusted that and he held onto it. Yet it freed him to live his life and raise his family until that day came. Now she was back and he didn't know how long…but he wished it'd be forever no matter what happened.

"Amelia don't beat yourself up about what you did," he said, "I put a hell of a lot more burden on you than I had any right to do. I'm not surprised you felt overwhelmed."

"Ethan…"

He put up his hand sensing what was coming.

"No…it's not because of you. It's because it wasn't fair to do that to anyone. I'm real sorry about that."

She smiled, touching his arm.

"No need to apologize. I'm happy that I did come back. Even under the dreadful circumstances. You will always be important to me and the children too."

"You matter a lot to me too Amelia. We're going to find her and the baby."

She sighed.

"Ethan…I'm afraid for her. So much could have happened and why come back here? After all the memories of what she must have faced."

He heard the sadness in her voice though she tried to hide it.

"Did she mention any reason to come back here?"

Amelia shook her head.

"She didn't talk about ever wanting to return here," she said, "but it might not be a bad place to hide from her husband."

"He have friends here?"

"Probably…so he'll be here soon enough."

They left their seating area to go get some breakfast. Ethan kept a sharp eye for anything that might be suspicious. The dining car was almost empty and a man served them including with strong coffee. They sat down.

"So you think you'll be okay with the engagement plan?"

She looked at him and nodded.

"I can handle it if you can…I just need a ring in case people look for it."

He reached into his pocket.

"I took care of that…"

After he slid it to her on the table, she opened up the little box. Her eyes widen.

"It's the one you gave me."

He nodded

"You sure you want to use it? I mean there's two women waiting for it back home."

He smiled.

"We need to keep a good cover," he said, "and it's got to be above suspicion."

"You're right," she said, sliding it on her finger then examining it.

"It still fits…"

"It looks nice."

He didn't add that it looked like it belonged on her finger. He couldn't ever say that. It'd serve its purpose and then go back in the box…and he didn't like that at all.


	54. Chapter 54

The house didn't burn that to the ground.

Claire considered that a minor miracle after Stella tried her hand at cooking mid-day Sunday dinner. Just some stew and vegetables from the garden. John Taylor was to be their guest and Edwina had prepared the dessert while Claire set the table.

The smoke from the kitchen first warned them something had gone awry and by the time Joseph and Claire had gone inside to investigate, Stella had soot on her face and arms and there'd been some type of eruption.

"What happened?"

The confined space was still clouded by smoke and Stella coughed waving her arms.

"I don't know…something blew up."

Claire looked around for an obvious reason while Joseph went to open a window and let the smoke escape.

Dinner was ruined.

"Oh I knew I shouldn't have tried this recipe."

Claire wrinkled her nose.

"What was it?"

"Just some stew, that's all," Stella muttered, "It should have been much easier."

Claire grabbed a towel for the table.

"John Taylor's due in about an hour," she said, "There's some fish left over from what the boys caught at the lake."

Edwina popped in the room.

"I can help skin the fish if you'd like," she said, "I grew up eating a lot of it."

Claire nodded and Edwina went to work. She turned to Stella.

"We'd better get cleaned up here while she works," she said, "I'll send the boys to check for extra eggs too."

Stella bristled having messed up so badly.

"I really think that I should try again."

Claire shook her head.

"Best to wait for another day," she said, "There's still plenty of time until Uncle Ethan returns."

"How do you know?"

Claire smiled.

"Because it's going to take him a while to find Miranda and he won't return until he does and she's safe with her baby."

Stella sniffed.

"He might never find her and besides, it's her husband's affair not his…or Amelia's. He should focus on his own family."

"Oh he does," Claire said, "He loves us but Amelia's family too."

"I really don't think…after they broke up."

"He still cares about her," Claire said, "You can tell just by watching them and she cares about him too."

Stella paused as Edwina returned into the room.

"Well he might care but he's going to marry one of us and I know who it's going to be."

Edwina sighed.

"Neither of us know. He hasn't chosen yet or he'd have told us who he's marrying."

Stella shook her head.

"I know he's made his choice already. He's just interrupted by this mission that he's on right now. When he returns, he'll announce his decision."

Claire knew that might be true but both women might be in for a surprise if he picked neither one of them. She just knew that the more time Ethan and Amelia spent together, the more they'd realize what they'd missed.

Stella might not like what was in store when he did come back.

* * *

Amelia and Ethan gathered their bags and prepared to leave the train after it reached the station in San Francisco. The city loomed large before them, even larger than Amelia remembered. Many people walked down the streets and there were buggies, wagons and even trolley cars.

Many stores, theaters and music halls in the mix along with other buildings populated by many people including those who lived in the city.

The wealthier people had estates on the outskirts, near the foothills and so did the family who had sponsored her. But for now they were going to head to the hotel to drop their bags off before making a few necessary stops at police stations and wire offices.

"Come on…I think it's that direction."

They were going to lease a buggy to use to navigate around the city and a sturdy horse. He slipped his arm in hers as fitting an engaged couple. It felt strange at first, but then more familiar. She had a role to play after all, they both did and being a couple might help them navigate through the social circles.

After leasing the buggy, it was a short ride to the hotel which looked quite grand. Her friend had done great work with it, before adding it to his growing collection.

"Thomas is going to invite us to supper tonight," she said, "I told him we'd be happy to accept. He might be able to help us navigate the city."

Ethan nodded as they tied up the horse on the rail and walked into the hotel. It looked grand from the inside as well. They checked in and an employee took them to their room. It was a suite with two adjoining bedrooms into an area with a chaise and several chairs around a long table. A desk next to a shelf of books nearby.

"Which one do you want?"

She smiled.

"It doesn't matter," she said, "I think we should freshen up and then head to find the lawmen."

Ethan nodded.

"We can find out if Carlton's sent his men here already. I hope for her sake he hasn't gotten a head start on us."

She sat down on the chaise.

"I wouldn't put it past them," she said, "But I still don't know why she came back here. We didn't discuss that Ethan."

"She's got no other family?"

Amelia shook her head.

"Just unpleasant memories….that she might never have told her husband."

He leaned forward.

"Like you?"

She shrugged.

"I left with Pierce to get away from the city," she said, "to avoid making difficult choices. She didn't have the same chances."

"No she didn't…but that's not your fault Amelia. I'm guessing she knows that."

Amelia stood up, firmness in her voice.

'We'd better get going Ethan," she said, "I suppose it's time to start actin engaged again."

He smiled.

"Shouldn't be too hard."

She arched her brows.

"It's not going to cause any unpleasant memories," she said, "I hope not for you…or interfere with your life back in Paradise."

Meaning the two women waiting for him there to make an important decision.

"No I'm going to do what it takes to make sure we find them," he said, "We'll do that together."

He slid his arm around her as a fiancée might do for his intended as they left the suite.


	55. Chapter 55

Amelia and Ethan walked down the streets of the big city. Memories came back to Amelia in a rush, she wondered if the same happened with Ethan.

"It's changed and yet…not so much."

"It's growing," he said, "More buildings, more boats in the harbor I imagine."

Most of them coming in from other countries many miles away including Australia and China among others. People boarding them, often sleeping in cramped quarters or on deck and eating poor quality food all in the hopes of a new life. It'd been near torture at times for her when she'd been younger facing what felt like endless days and nights looking out into the same ocean, the view broken up occasionally by a pod of dolphins or perhaps another ship.

She'd befriended a sailor who had signed up in Australia to pay his way across by manning the sails. Staying up most the night as a lookout and swabbing the decks. He'd stand by the side of a cabin smoking a cigar and telling stories about his life ranching in the depths of the Outback, in much more remote areas than her own family spread.

"I saw a town of people maybe once a year…twice," he said, "We all took everything from the land together and gave it back…a group of us…until the barons came to take everything for themselves."

Amelia remembered those days when the smaller spreads like her father's ranch were threatened by takeovers from the larger ones including ones owned by her grandfather on her mother's side of the family. It'd created conflict between her parents before she and her brothers and sister were even born.

Before her parents even married…maybe that's why her father took to boxing in matches so often to relieve an earlier lifetime of frustration.

She focused on the sights around her as she and Ethan went to the nearest lawman station. The streets were filled with activity, the businesses flourishing including saloons. He kept a sharp eye out for anything suspicious, any signs of trouble like being followed by any of Carlton's men. Everyone out there looked focused on their own movements.

"Ethan…how many more blocks?"

"One I think…this will be a good first stop though the news will be better if they've never heard of her."

She sighed.

"I know that…if anything bad happened…I don't know what to do then. What that'd mean for her child…so I hope they know nothing."

"If she's here, it hasn't been long so she'd likely be just hiding somewhere to avoid discovery."

She glanced at him.

"But who's this Butler person then…it seems like he knew about her when he contacted me."

They reached the building with the sign on it identifying it as where they'd find a marshal inside. They entered it and saw an older man with salt and pepper hair looking up at them from a desk.

"Hello…who are you?"

Ethan introduced himself and Amelia to the man who was Marshal Garrett Braddock.

"You looking for who again?"

"A young woman named Miranda…she might have come to the city with a baby."

"What about a husband?"

Amelia and Ethan looked at each other.

"She was alone," Amelia said, "She's my friend. Ethan here's my…my fiancé…and we were looking for her to be in the wedding."

Garrett just stared at them.

"Your wedding?"

Ethan nodded.

"I'm marrying this young woman here as soon as I can get her to the altar but she wants Miranda to be there witnessing."

Garrett shook his head.

"You out of towners…I can tell so don't argue…look why don't you send her a wire and just invite her?"

Amelia smiled at him.

"It just seems so…formal and besides, she left her home and went on a trip out here. We just don't know the hotel."

"Why you asking a marshal about where your friend's staying? No crime in checking in a hotel."

Ethan agreed.

"Yes that's what I told my fiancée but she's a stubborn woman. The most stubborn I ever met."

Amelia just felt exasperated.

"Look I just want to find her as quickly as possible so I can marry you as soon as you want," she said, "It just doesn't feel right without her being there."

Ethan shook his head.

"Women…"

"Ethan…you do want to get married don't you?"

"Yes I do darling and everything that comes with it…but we don't want to waste any more of the marshal's time."

Garrett interjected.

"I've never heard of anyone named Miranda…and it's been quiet here," he said, "Murder rate's been way down and most other violence."

Ethan nodded in approval.

"That's very good. We'll just be moving along and thanks for helping us."

They walked outside the marshal's office with that errand out of the way. Amelia didn't think it'd yield any information and hoped she'd be right. The last thing she wanted to discover was that her friend was badly injured or dead.

"You think Carlton's already contacted him?"

Ethan slid his arm around her as they walked down the street so they'd look like a couple in case anyone watched.

"I don't know…guess we'll find out…"

She gave him a pointed look.

"What you said about the wedding and everything that comes with it…"

He paused.

"Oh that. I was playing the fiancé."

She smiled.

"You don't have to go into that much detail Ethan."

"You mean about the honeymoon?"

She glanced away a long moment.

"Amelia…that's part of it. You do know that."

Her eyes flashed.

"Yes I do…I was married once and you'll be married to either Stella or Edwina soon enough and you can take your wife on your honeymoon. You haven't decided yet which?"

He coughed.

"No I haven't…I'm still thinking."

She pursed her lips.

"I don't think Stella wants to wait until the honeymoon."

His face flushed.

"You heard about what happened on the staircase?"

Her mouth curved into another smile.

"I guessed Ethan…I rode on the stagecoach with her and she talked an awful lot about your…attributes."

"My what?"

"Your looks…she was quite enthusiastic after seeing you."

"Amelia…"

"Ethan you'll make the right choice for your wife," she said, "and I hope it makes you happy."

"I'm not married yet."

"But you will be…you seem very determined that's what shall be…now that it's settled, we'd better decide where to look next."

"The wire office…"

She nodded and they walked towards their destination. Ethan looking carefully around them for any signs of trouble.

It'd fine them soon enough and she wanted to find Miranda and the baby first.


	56. Chapter 56

Stella sighed as she walked out of the mercantile. She'd finally gotten out of the house at the ranch and away from those little brats. The two youngest boys who were just royal terrors! They'd made a mess in the dining room running around this morning and then they'd allowed the rangy puppy inside the house. Furniture had knocked over and she'd nearly fallen over too before catching herself on the nearest chair.

If Ethan thought the children were staying with them when they were wed he had another thing coming. As soon as she could sweet talk herself into it, they'd be sent to board and be educated outside of Paradise. They'd be plenty of schools to choose from and she'd convince him it was really for the best. They needed their privacy after all as newlyweds.

Edwina remained trapped with the hooligans but didn't seem to mind. But then she'd never seemed that smart. But it was the perfect plan, have her do all the hard work while Stella thought up excuses to get out of the house, this time taking the wagon into town to get some items at the mercantile.

John Taylor stood outside the store by the window. He smiled at her.

"Good morning Stella…I see you're in town. Hadn't seen you in a while."

She sighed. That had been because she'd been buried under all this work and Claire, that snip of a girl had been so bossy to her. But she'd cut loose for a few hours.

"Hello Mr. Taylor."

"Call me John…"

"John…I'm doing well and you?"

His smile widened.

"I'm doing very well. Did some bass fishing earlier this morning. Saw the sun rise over my mountain. It doesn't get any better than that."

She didn't know what he was talking about, she'd been inside washing the dishes after the meal. Getting up at some god awful hour of the morning thanks to the ruffians.

"What brings you here into Paradise?"

"I need to get some fabric," she said, "Claire wants to sew some new curtains. She wanted to teach me but I have no skill in that area. I'm good at other things."

He looked amused.

"I see…can you cook?"

She furrowed her brow wondering if he were playing with her.

"No…not well I'm afraid," she said, "I never got around to learning."

He seemed to consider that.

"Ethan…he likes a home cooked meal like any man," he said, "Now that he's out of town, you have time to practice."

She made a face.

"I think I'll let Edwina handle that part of it."

He nodded.

"That sounds like a plan," he said, "She's a very capable young woman."

Stella frowned.

"You think she'll win him don't you?"

He looked puzzled but she figured it was an act. The old man didn't seem to think much of her. Well, she'd show him and everyone else that she would be the perfect wife for Ethan. By the time he got back from his travels, she'd really have him ready to propose to her.

"Why would you say that?"

She twittered her eyes wondering why her question had been answered by a question.

"Look, Edwina's no match for someone like me," she said, "But she'll get some time spent in a rustic town as a consolation prize…maybe I'll even invite her to our wedding."

John Taylor smiled at her.

"He'll make his decision when he gets back from San Francisco," he said, "and he'll live with it. He's a man of action."

"I know that…but he needs a wife and mother to the children and I…well I need to settle down."

He nodded.

"Sometimes a major change can put the past behind us finally," he said, "but you go to trust your self…"

"I do…I know what I want and it's him," she said, "and he'll be back soon enough after he finds this woman…"

"Amelia's friend…"

Stella's lip curled.

"Yes…her friend but Ethan's moved past their engagement," she said, "He's just helping her as the marshal doing his job."

"Yes…yes indeed…."

* * *

Ethan opened the door and he and Amelia walked inside the room. It was a spacious area but there was something she noticed right away.

"Ethan there's only one bedroom…"

He looked around and saw the doorway that led away from the living area stylishly decorated with a chaise and dining table with chairs and a desk in the corner with a chair.

"I thought you said there were two."

She sighed.

"My friend…apologized for changing our room. He didn't know that the governor of Texas was going to drop in San Francisco for the trade meeting. I'll just take the chaise and you can take the bedroom.'

He shook his head.

"I'll take it…"

She put a hand on her hip.

"Ethan…you're taller than I am…I'll be more comfortable than you would be."

"I'll be just fine," he said, "I've slept in more cramped space."

"So have I…and…"

He put his hand.

"I'm taking the chaise Amelia…"

She smiled.

"Okay then…I'm hungry how about you?"

Suddenly he felt starved.

"There's a restaurant next door."

"I'll change…I'll be ready in a minute…"

She went to the bedroom and took her things with her, closing the door behind her. He waited, remembering the times they'd gone to hotels when they'd been together. Mostly in Virginia City, then sharing one bed hadn't been a problem at all. It'd been very enjoyable…but now it'd be him on the chaise.

He'd gotten into this plan of his to get married to please the circuit judge and hadn't known that Amelia would be taking the same coach as his prospective brides. But he had to focus on helping Amelia find Miranda and her baby.

She came out wearing her lighter colored dress with roses on it. He blinked his eyes, she'd always been a beautiful woman. More beautiful than…

"Ethan…It's just a dress," she said, "Besides we have to play the part don't we and a woman shows off for her fiancé.

"You look…nice…"

She smiled at him.

"Thank you…now I'm hungry. We should get going."

He nodded and they both left the suite stepping out into the hallway where they saw other couples heading out into the main lobby area.

She slid her arm in his and they both walked outside to head towards the restaurant. Not noticing the man walking behind them.


	57. Chapter 57

Amelia and Ethan entered the restaurant, a nice establishment owned by a businessmen who had invested money in the hotel as well. They were seated and ordered some wish and a bottle of wine from a local vineyard.

"I'd rather catch my own bass," he said, "That way I know where it came from."

She chuckled at him.

"Ethan…it's prime grade, only the best food," she said, "My friend recommended we try it."

He nodded and they both looked around the restaurant. Every table was filled, mostly with couples like them. A single man with dark hair in a suit had taken a table not too far away but he seemed mostly interested in the newspaper.

"So the wires should help," she said, "and at least the children and your two women will know you're okay."

He narrowed his eyes.

"My two women?"

She flashed amusement in her eyes as she settled the napkin on her lap.

"Ethan…there's probably a betting pool back in Paradise about which one you'll pick."

He sighed.

"You're probably right."

She shrugged.

"Not much else to worry about in a small town," she said, "I think I like Edwina…Stella she's something else."

"I know…there's something about her I can't put my finger on…"

She reached for her wine glass.

"Ethan...you've put more than a finger on her or so I heard."

He frowned.

"There aren't any secrets in Paradise."

"Few if any…and nothing stays buried forever," she said, "Ethan I support you in this…I know you will build yourself a new life with your bride."

He winced.

"I needed some change," he said, "I'm not getting any younger."

She nodded.

"True…but you still look good," she said, "You're a good catch though that's more a term that comes out of Matilda's mouth not mine."

"I haven't decided yet. I want to see how they handle the children for a few days."

She chuckled.

"That's a good test Ethan," she said, "They do need a mother and Claire especially needs a woman in the household."

Ethan sipped his own wine.

"You did very good with her Amelia," he said, "She really looks up to you."

Amelia pursed her lips.

"I don't know how much my running off and leaving her affected her," she said, "but she doesn't seem to have held it against me."

He paused.

"The children missed you a lot," he said, "They're happy that you're back."

"I don't know for how long Ethan…my future's wide open. I just can't think of it until I make sure Miranda and the baby are safe."

She didn't think she could stay in the town she had left. After all, the man she'd almost married would be making that same decision with someone else. One of two women would wear his ring, live in his household and bear his children. It might not have worked between them but she didn't think he should live his life alone.

"We'll find them and make sure no one harms them."

"I wonder who's Butler and what he wants from us. He's not contacted us since we arrived."

Ethan leaned back in his chair.

"I'm guessing we'll be hearing from him soon. But is he wanting to help us or hurt us, we won't know until we meet him."

Amelia waited until the waiter served them their plates of fish and fresh vegetables which proved to be quite delicious.

"I think she might know him."

His eyebrows arched.

"Know him from when she lived here?"

Amelia shrugged.

"I'm thinking that's possible. He might be someone who knew the man who ran the household who wanted…"

She stopped talking and took another bite of her fish. He realized that she didn't want to talk much about that part of her life. It'd taken her leaving for him to realize that he didn't know much about her life before she came to Paradise.

"Miranda knew more than she told me," Amelia said, "She told me to take what Pierce offered and to leave with him and not stay any longer. Not to ask any questions."

Ethan frowned.

"I know you did ask her questions…"

She smiled.

"Yes you do know me well Ethan," she said, "I asked her what would happen if I stayed…even delayed our departure and she wouldn't answer. I saw the look on her face and I knew I had to do as he told me…so Pierce and I left that night. We were married not long after that."

"Did he know anything? Did he talk to Miranda?"

She paused.

"I don't know…he never said anything to me…just that he wanted to marry me as soon as possible. I barely knew him but I thought I loved him."

"So he pushed you to marry him?"

"Maybe…but Ethan I wasn't a citizen and I was…I was 15 years old. I didn't know what else to do…in a new country."

He could imagine what it must have been like to be her. Much different than the assured and confident woman sitting across from him.

"Pierce told me before the party," She said, "We were all supposed to be hostesses for some rather distinguished guests. I don't know how it turned out."

He had always wondered how Amelia had wound up marrying a con artist like Pierce Lawson and now he thought he knew. The man might have been appeared to be a heartless cad but he'd done what he had in part to help his future wife.

Ethan just didn't know why. Pierce was likely not hanging around San Francisco right now so he couldn't answer any questions.

"Butler wants something from us in return," he said, "if he gives us anything."

She nodded.

"I know but whatever it takes to find her Ethan…I'm willing to do it…."

* * *

Dakota walked up to John Taylor who was enjoying the sunset on the swing at Amelia's house. He'd run into Stella in town and he just didn't trust the woman.

John Taylor had his eyes closed, clearly thinking peaceful thoughts as the swing moved back and forth.

"Hi Dakota…"

The deputy wasn't surprised the Indian knew it was him without looking. He'd learned that John Taylor was probably the most perceptive person in Paradise when it came to figuring people out. He sure had him pegged from the moment he stepped foot in Paradise if memory served him correctly. Yet he'd never held his plot of revenge against Ethan against him.

"Hi John Taylor…nice evening."

The Indian smiled.

"Yes indeed…this is the best view in town," he said, "You can see all the colors splashing across the buildings."

Dakota took his word for it.

"You're worried about Stella aren't you?"

"I don't know if I'd put it that way," Dakota said, "I'm not trusting her at the moment."

John Taylor nodded as if it didn't surprise him.

"You think she's not who she says she is…or here for reasons different than trying to marry our fine marshal?"

"I'm not sure yet…maybe both. Something's just not right about her."

John Taylor smiled up at him.

"You're a smart man Dakota, why don't you find out who she is and why she's really here…."


	58. Chapter 58

Dakota kept an eye on Stella when she wandered about town. She seemed to do that a lot lately with Ethan being gone. If she noticed his sudden interest in her, she didn't give it away. Shopping and eating in the restaurant were her favorite past times. He wondered where she got the money that she spent.

Today she wore a white dress decorated with tiny pink flowers and a bonnet to match it. She'd eaten her mid-day meal served by Scotty and then went to sit on a bench outside the post office watching the activity around her.

He walked up to her, the perfect gentlemen tipping his hat in greeting. She smiled at him but he caught a flash of wariness in her eyes.

"Good day Dakota…"

"Good day my lady," he said, "and what brings you into town on such a lovely day?"

She paused as if thinking of her answer.

"I wanted to check Axelrod's new shipment of spring bonnets…"

"It's not spring."

Her smile dimmed slightly.

"I know but I wanted to do that anyway. You can never have too many bonnets of any kind."

He tilted his face looking at her. No denying she was a very pretty girl, delicate featured and yet there was an edge to her, a toughness. She'd give nothing away if she could help it. He just had to sweet talk the pretty lady enough to slip past her defenses.

"I'm on my way to the marshal's office," he said, "Got a new shipment myself this morning. Brand new Wanted posters."

Her eyes narrowed slightly but she still smiled at him, perfectly poised.

"That's helpful to you I imagine," she said, "Ethan has a very difficult job and you must lend him great assistance."

"He's the best marshal in these parts. Do my part when he's off helping someone else like Amelia…though I didn't expect to see her back in town for a while."

"I'm surprised she came back at all," Stella said, "I mean she didn't seem to have anything good to say about Paradise."

He shook his head.

"Not true exactly…I heard that during the mine explosion a couple years back…she was the only one who refused to pack up and leave. Not even when Ethan had packed up the children…right after they'd gotten engaged."

Stella sniffed.

"No wonder it didn't work out between them."

"They're off in San Francisco now together."

She recoiled.

"He's only helping her because he's the marshal. He'll be back soon and we're going to plan our wedding."

"I didn't know he's picked his bride yet."

"Well not officially…but I know it's going to be me."

Dakota decided to have a little fun.

"It could be Edwina…she's very pretty and she's quite nice," he said, "plus you've got her doing all the chores for you and that's going to only help her."

"I do not…I cooked breakfast this morning…well I helped and I'll help with dinner tonight."

He nodded.

"That'll earn you some points…still I think it's too close to call between the two of you and it might not matter if he and Amelia…they decide that they want to be together again."

She just scoffed.

"You can't be serious…that ship has sailed and he's ready to move on with me."

He shrugged.

"I don't know much about ships sailing but I do know that no man I ever saw loved a woman like he loves her and I'm not sure that's changed."

Stella didn't like the sound of that. Not at all. She had her own plan going and no one was going to ruin it for her. Certainly not Ethan's former fiancée. If she dared try, she had another thing coming to her.

"He's over her. He told me so."

"He might not know the truth himself," Dakota said, "but they'll be alone together and they could figure it out."

Stella thought he couldn't possibly be right but a part of her wondered.

* * *

Amelia and Ethan had walked all over town and still…nothing. She had a feeling in her gut that Miranda was hiding out in this city but it loomed large, bustling with a lot of people and so many buildings within its boundaries. It made finding one person who didn't want to be found nearly impossible.

"This Butler…he wants us to meet tomorrow but where and when? He's just as secretive as when he sent that message."

Ethan couldn't argue with that wondering if his role in it had been to try to lure Amelia into a trap. After all he had a feeling more and more that she'd narrowly avoiding being caught in one when she'd been working in the mansion years ago.

"I don't trust him. If he does contact us, we'll have to be careful."

"I know that Ethan," she said, "but if he can give us answers about Miranda...I'm willing to take that risk. She's in trouble and I'm going to help her."

Amelia started feeling agitated and without hesitating, Ethan rested a hand on her back. She didn't stop him as they kept walking down the street.

"I know you want to help her and that's what we're going to do."

She nodded.

"What happened to her…what she protected me from…Ethan I think it damaged her," she said, "and that's going to make it harder to locate her if she's hiding."

"Something led her to meet up with Carlton who abused her," Ethan said, "She stayed with him even when he was hurting her."

"I know…I couldn't even imagine that…but I stayed with a con artist who constantly lied to me…and there might have been other women among those lies."

She had moved past the betrayal and the hurt. She'd found herself a much better man that she'd almost married only she'd run away from him.

"Ethan…I hope whatever woman you pick to marry…that she'll make you happy. There was never anything wrong with you…no matter what I said."

He sighed.

"Amelia that's not true…you were right about me. I was selfish in what I demanded of you without asking."

"You didn't need to ask me…I was so scared you'd wind up dead and I'd have to mourn you."

He paused a long moment.

"If I had it to do over…"

Right then a young child rushed up and grabbed at Amelia's purse.


	59. Chapter 59

Matilda was gossiping with Emma when Edwina walked into the restaurant. She was there to get a meal and some peace and quiet. She loved tending to Ethan's busy and boisterous household but Claire had taken pity on her and told her she'd handle the younger boys for the rest of the day. Edwina had gotten dressed up and gone to the restaurant to try some of the new fried fish.

She ran into Matilda whose tongue was wagging about how Stella had been strutting around town in a fancy dress and flirting with that rake Dakota when she was supposed to have feelings for Ethan. It just was so…so unseemly. Edwina listened but didn't think that Stella had designs on the deputy marshal…she sensed that something else was going on between the two of them. She didn't know her rival very well but during the stagecoach ride, Stella had talked about herself a lot and Edwina had listened quietly and picked up the fact that the woman was definitely hiding a secret.

Now she wasn't the type to take advantage of that or to use it against them. She'd always been what she appeared to be a nice, mild mannered young woman. She wanted to win Ethan as a husband as she'd taken more than a shine for him but she wanted to do so based on her own qualities.

"She's acting like a hussy," Matilda said, "I thought Amelia had loose standards when she was married to Pierce but this woman outdoes even her."

Emma shook her head.

"I don't believe it," she said, "Does she think Ethan Cord is going to like that in a wife? He's rough around the edges but even he…he must have some standards in how his wife behaves."

"I would think so," Matilda said, "but then again, he's still a gun slinger despite trying to be respectable."

Edwina couldn't believe they were talking about Ethan this way in public. She walked up to them and smiled.

"Hello…I couldn't help but overhear. What is it that you have against Ethan Cord?"

The two women looked at each other. Matilda's lips looked prissy.

"Why I never…we were talking privately among ourselves."

"I think everyone in the restaurant can hear you," Edwina said, "He's a very nice man, very decent and law abiding. He keeps the town's people safe."

Emma narrowed her eyes.

"He brought us so much danger when he was a gun for hire and even know with his enemies coming for him."

Edwina shrugged.

"Then you should help protect him," she said, "just like he protects you. Instead you treat him rudely until the moment arrives when you need him to save your life."

Emma sighed.

"That's not true. You haven't been here that long in Paradise. You don't know anything or any better."

Edwina put a hand on her hip.

"I think I do and I think you should be more respectful. If I marry him, I will expect you to be."

Matilda wrinkled her face.

"How can you do that? A young snip like yourself?"

Edwina smiled nicely.

"I can manage just fine. You needn't worry about that…"

She heard footsteps behind her and saw Dakota walk into the store. He flashed her a winning smile.

"Nicely done. Someone has to defend the town marshal here."

Matilda gave him a withering glance.

"You're hardly better yourself," she said, "carousing like you do in the saloon. Absolutely shameless."

Dakota chuckled.

"A young man has to have some fun," he said, "I wouldn't fit very well with at a quilting bee."

Matilda looked offended and Edwina put a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. Oh this Dakota, he was certainly a charmer with a streak of goodness underneath.

* * *

Ethan had seen the purse snatching unfold even before the young ruffian ran off with it down a busy street. His marshaling had only honed the razor sharp instincts he already had and so off he went running after the thief.

Amelia just watched him go knowing that he'd catch up to that person soon enough. He'd always jumped into quick action when a crime happened and even before he'd been a marshal in Paradise. No one had his courage…she'd remembered back when she and others including two of the children had been held hostage in the hotel.

Charlie had been the de facto marshal then and he'd been dinged on the shoulder. No one else would go into the hotel to get the demands from the outlaws and see to the hostages. She'd been scared the entire time, trying to channel her fears into making sure the children and little Huckleberry were safe…but he'd given her strength to get through it. And he tended to her after the siege ended…taking her to her house to stay with her a while.

She knew he'd be back soon enough with the thief.

In less than 10 minutes, he returned with a child wearing scruffy clothing who looked to be about nine. Only when Ethan removed the cap on the child's head, long curly dark hair came tumbling out and she knew it was a young girl.

The girl looked defiant even in Ethan's grip.

"I caught up with her at the end of an alley…"

The girl shook her head.

"If I hadn't tripped, you never would have caught me."

Ethan sighed.

"Give the purse back to the lady…now."

The girl just glared at him and then handed it to Amelia reluctantly. Amelia checked to see if anything was missing.

"It's all there…"

The girl narrowed her eyes. She was quite pretty or would be if she took care of herself. Ethan wondered where she lived or if she had parents.

"I didn't take nothing."

Amelia put her hand on her hip.

"You took my purse," she said, "Why did you do that? You might as well just tell us because we can always turn you into the marshal."

The girl sighed.

"I needed something to sell," she said, "I got to eat…"

Amelia frowned.

"Where's your parents?"

The girl folded her arms.

"Don't got any…both dead of the fever…"

"I see…well do you have a name?"

The girl paused and then nodded.

"Course I do…don't everyone?"

Amelia smiled.

"Yes…some people have more than one."

"Okay…my name is Charlotte…but they call me Charlie…on the street."

Both Ethan and Amelia digested that.

"Okay…Charlie," Ethan said, "I'll let you go…this time but I don't want to see you stealing from this lady here."

"Okay you got a deal," Charlie said, "I'd best be going now…trying to see if I can get a job."

That sounded mostly sarcastic but the two decided to let the girl go. They had to focus on finding Miranda and felt they were running out of time before Butler wanted to meet with them…if he ever resurfaced.

They both watched as Charlie headed on down the street. One more urchin in a city filled to the brim of them no doubt.


	60. Chapter 60

Dakota and Edwina walked out of the restaurant after he treated her to a meal there. They had talked about the town gossips to start with but had moved on to more interesting topics. He shared a bit of his life story and she shared a part of hers. They laughed and they commiserated over their tales.

Edwina decided that she liked the deputy with the colorful stories. They walked through the main street and he told her the stories of the businesses and the people who owned them. It seemed that he got along with most of the people in Paradise and its outskirts. The way people came up to him, saying hi including a lot of the younger ladies in the town.

"You think that Stella's going to beat you out for Ethan?"

She glanced at him in surprise as she hadn't thought about either one of them in hours. She pursed her lips.

"I don't know…she seems to think she's got it locked up," she said, "But I don't know why she's any better than me. Maybe I'm not as pretty or my dresses not as stylish…"

"Edwina…stop…you're very pretty," Dakota said, "and I like your dresses."

She widened her eyes.

"You do…really?"

He nodded.

"You're very nice too…very kind and the children really like you. Claire told me that last time I saw her."

She smiled at that, really liking the young woman who had been running Ethan's household for so long. She did so well…Edwina thought she just needed some time to act her age.

"I like her. She's very capable in running the household."

"She's had to be," Dakota said, "Ethan's not much for doing that and his job makes him travel a lot. Claire's what binds the family together."

Edwina smiled.

"You sound very fond of her Dakota."

His eyes sparkled.

"I care very much about her…and the others," he said, "Once I decided not to kill Ethan, he became like a brother to me…took me under his wing. I give him a hard time about it but I don't know where I'd be if it hadn't been for him. Dead maybe."

Edwina touched his shoulder gently.

"You're a smart man…you found a way to move on from the past. He's lucky to have a friend like you."

Ben came rushing up to them followed by George. He put his hands on Ben's shoulders.

"What are you two doing in town?"

George grinned.

"Stella brought us here while she buys things. We're going to see Tiny make horse shoes."

Ben nodded.

"He…he's got a n…new horse," he said, "Ne…needs new shoes."

Edwina smiled at him.

"Sounds like fun. I might join you if that's okay."

Ben and George looked at each other and nodded.

"Dakota can come too," George said, "Tiny might need help."

Ben nodded again. Edwina glanced over at Dakota.

"Then we're just going to have to go over and help him aren't we?"

They all walked over to the livery stable together, talking and laughing along the way.

* * *

Stella came out of the mercantile wearing a new bauble on her dress that she'd just purchased. When Ethan got back, she'd wear it when he took her out to dinner or late night supper. After spending time with his ex-fiancée he'd probably welcome spending time with a classier lady.

She saw Dakota and Edwina together and her suspicions went up. She didn't trust the deputy at all…way too cordial to her and nosy to boot. Those traits, she knew could lead to all kinds of trouble if he suspected anything about her past. She'd have to keep an eye on him to make sure that he didn't keep too close a watch on her.

Claire walked up to her.

"I'm going to the bank to put in this week's deposit do you want to come with me?"

Stella shrugged.

"Why not? Is this from the ranch?"

Claire shook her head.

"I did some special bookkeeping for Mr. Axelrod and he just paid me. It's going towards the ranching and some for my education fund…for when I got to teaching college…"

Stella arched her brows.

"So you really want to go learn how to teach children?"

Claire nodded.

"I can't wait…I'll be able to start applying this time next year."

Stella celebrated inside knowing that if she married Ethan and wanted to get the children out of from under her hair, sending Claire to teaching college would make that easier.

"That sounds like a wonderful plan," she said as the two of them headed to the bank.

* * *

Amelia and Ethan returned to their room after a long day spent searching futilely for Miranda and the baby. No messages at the front desk from anyone including the mysterious Butler and her feet felt sore. They'd not had a chance to rest since arriving in the bustling city.

"We've got some time before supper," she said, "I might rest up if that's fine with you."

He nodded.

"We're both tired…"

She sighed.

"You sure you don't want the bed?"

He shook his head.

"No…I get the chaise."

"But it's too cramped…"

He shrugged.

"I'm too tired to care at this point."

She paused a long moment.

"Ethan…if you promise to behave yourself, you can share the bed with me…for a brief rest…"

He blinked his eyes.

"You mean it?"

She chuckled at the expression on his face.

"Yes I do…but for sleeping not for…anything else…"

She tried so hard not to think about the other…when they'd shared a bed or a sleeping bag outdoors for reasons other than sleeping.

"Fair enough…"

She threw him a stern look.

"Ethan…you're going to be engaged to someone when you return home," she said, "I don't want to complicate your already complicated life."

He looked sheepish.

"I don't either…I'm not sure I'm doing the right thing by the children…"

She softened.

"Ethan you love them…you've always looked out for them," she said, "Don't second guess yourself if marrying one of these women will make you happy."

He sighed.

"What makes you happy Amelia? I know some of it…including with the not sleeping part…"

Her cheeks flushed. Oh yes he did…Pierce hadn't been interested in how she felt when they'd engaged in lovemaking during their marriage…he'd just assumed what made him happy made her happy. But Ethan had changed the way she'd viewed amorous activities of all kinds. Though she'd wanted to share that side of herself with him for ages, she'd been self-conscious on so many levels…but he'd so thoroughly seduced her into his bed she'd forgotten all about that.

She never remembered again. It made her feel warm just to think about it. Time to change the subject.

"Okay…I'm going to take a brief nap," she said, "I'll leave you most of the bed since you're larger."

They both went into the bedroom and each staked out their portion of the generously sized bed. She felt comfortable and yet his nearness…kept her alert. He seemed more at ease with it than she did…yawning from his side.

"Do you ever think about it?"

He moved enough to creak the bed, telling her he was still awake.

"Think about what?"

She took a deep breath.

"What it was like when we were together…"

It took him a moment to get her meaning.

"All the time…since that first night."

She sighed.

"It was selfish what I wanted Ethan…"

"No it wasn't…I understood…all I wanted was to make you feel whole again…and nothing happened to stop us."

She remembered that night but she couldn't go back there. Some feelings just needed to be kept in the past. The man next to her had two women vying to be his wife and that was his present…where his relationship with her had been in the past.

Her last thoughts before drifting to sleep was wishing so much for that not to be true.


	61. Chapter 61

_Amelia had dressed up that night in something more formal than her usual uniform to serve the guests at the party held by the Lord of the Manor. He'd left a list of guests who'd be invited who were to get special attention. _

_The ballroom was decorated in splendor with an orchestra playing on a stage and tables lined up with food and drink including wine that she and the other servants including Miranda and a young girl named Prudence were ordered to keep in constant supply. That meant rushing back and forth between the kitchen and the holding area for the prepared dishes. _

_Amelia's feet felt sore and the dress felt tighter than her normal clothes. She'd also been told to wear her hair differently. _

_She saw Pierce standing with his cousins chatting on the other side of the ballroom and several men she didn't recognize standing with the mayor and his wife. Marshal Johnson and one of his deputies were serving their plates with the delicious food. _

_Pierce walked over to her with a smile on his face. _

"_Evening Amelia…you're looking fetching tonight."_

_She looked down at her dress feeling somewhat self-conscious. _

"_It's new…I haven't had a new dress," she said, "We all got them for tonight."_

_His face changed, becoming more solemn. _

"_I need to talk to you later," he said, "I've been thinking about you a lot."_

_Her heart skipped a beat. More than one…this handsome elegantly dressed gentleman had been thinking about her?_

"_Okay…when I'm not busy," she said, "The lady of the house hates it when we are idle. So it'll be when the guests start leaving."_

_He nodded and tipped his hat. _

"_Very well then, Lady Amelia…"_

_She felt her face flush and watched him walk back to his cousins. She picked up another empty tray and took it to the kitchen. There she saw Miranda with a full tray. Her friend smiled at her. _

"_A lot of guests tonight…"_

"_Yes…why are they all here?"_

_Miranda hoisted the tray up on her shoulder. _

"_It's a pre-party for the one next week," she said, "an introduction to high society…I can't talk about it right now."_

_Her voice had dropped to a whisper and Amelia didn't know why until she saw a gentleman, older and with darker hair standing outside the kitchen. She left Miranda and walked towards him. _

"_May I help you sir…"_

_He smiled at her. _

"_I'm Burke…I'm new to the city and was invited to this soiree as an introduction to the city."_

_She nodded mostly out of politeness staying out of such affairs that didn't concern her. _

"_And you? You're quite pretty but do you have a name?"_

_She smiled back, brushing a tendril of hair out of her face. _

"_Amelia… I live and work here."_

_He narrowed his eyes. _

"_That accent…where are you from originally?"_

"_Australia…not far from Queensland…Brisbane."_

_He digested that information. _

"_I see…well I'll have to get to know you a little better…later on in the party."_

"_I'm working…I'm not supposed to mix with the guests."_

_He reached out to deal with that troublesome tendril of hair, his fingers skimming her cheek and side of her neck. _

"_We'll see about that."_

_Then he walked away._

* * *

Amelia woke up with a jolt and saw that the lighting in her bedroom had dimmed somewhat. It must be late afternoon and she sensed Ethan beside her asleep. She tried to move off the bed so as not to awake him.

"Amelia…"

She looked to see him open his eyes, looking at her.

"I was trying not to wake you…but I forgot how difficult that's proven to be."

He smiled.

"I remember waking up to you to be one of my favorite things…not my absolute favorite but one of them."

Her skin flushed.

"Ethan…"

But she didn't move…she just lay there next to him, both of them facing each other inches apart.

"It's almost time for supper."

He sighed, but didn't move to get up.

"I must have gone out quickly…as soon as I hit the pillow."

She nodded.

"Me too…well we've been traveling the past couple days and the bed is very comfortable."

"Sure is…"

She sighed.

"Ethan…I can sleep on the chaise from now on," she said, "Like I said, you're bigger and won't be comfortable on it."

He considered that and then shook his head.

"I say we share the bed…now before you get indignant with me…"

Her eyes flashed.

"Indignant? Ethan…we're not married, we shouldn't be sharing the same bed."

"No we're not…but we're just talking about sleeping here not the other…so I think as long as we stick to that we'll be fine."

She paused not so sure but they'd just shared the same bed for a spell and nothing had happened…and putting him on the chaise would just be inhumane.

"Okay…but it doesn't seem right. Ethan you're practically engaged or at the least courting or being courted by two women."

"I'm not engaged and I'm not sure I'd call it courting," he said, "It's more like a business relationship."

She narrowed her eyes.

"Do Edwina and Stella know that?"

"I'm not sure…Stella threw herself at me the other night and not that she's not pretty but I didn't want to share her bed."

Amelia felt her skin prickle not knowing if she wanted to discuss the subject of who Ethan wanted to bed and who he didn't.

"Ethan…that's your business…I'm sure it'll all work out," she said, "Unless you want a platonic marriage."

He looked horrified and she almost laughed.

"You don't want a platonic marriage?"

He smiled at her.

"You're asking me that question after our engagement?"

She fell silent then.

"I suppose it's a foolish question."

He chuckled and she joined in with him.

"I'd already been married," she said, "but I never was courted you see. It was a rather brief engagement."

He shifted on the bed.

"You fell in love with him that quickly?"

She sighed and started to move to get up.

"It's complicated with Pierce…I told you that."

He grabbed her arm and she stopped moving.

"You didn't tell me why," he said, "Just that it has something to do with Miranda…"

She nodded.

"We'd better get up and ready for supper," she said, "All that walking earlier made me very hungry. Thomas will be eating with us tonight."

"The hotel owner…"

"Ethan…he wants to meet you," she said, "I think you two have a mutual friend."

He got up to join her in getting ready to head to the restaurant.

"Who?"

She smiled at him.

"You'll find out when you meet him," she said, "Now let's get ready."


	62. Chapter 62

Edwina ran into Stella at the restaurant that night after having helped Claire purchase some fabric to make brand new curtains at the ranch house. Stella wore another new dress and all eyes were on her. She enjoyed that immensely and Edwina just shook her head.

She didn't think that Ethan wanted a wife who thrived on attracting such attention all the time. He seemed to be more into staying out of the limelight. Maybe that would give her an edge in this competition when he returned from San Francisco with Amelia. She knew she'd done better with the children and running the household than Stella had…as the other woman had spent as much time away from the ranch as possible. Edwina didn't mind the workload getting foisted on her she rather enjoyed it and she guessed that Ethan would be impressed when he returned.

Hopefully enough to want her as his bride and not the more flashy Stella. She knew she had to face the fact that Stella outshone her in the beauty department and she certainly wore fancier clothes. Where Stella got all that money to redo her wardrobe to impress Ethan, well that was none of her business. She knew her rival had secrets of her own.

"Hey why don't we eat together," Stella said, "I've got some great news to share with you."

Edwina felt wariness inside her but nodded, finding no excuse to say no. They walked to a table in the corner and sat down.

"So what's your news?"

Stella looked giddy with it.

"I'm getting a brand new dress from Paris," she said, "the store owner placed the order for me and did the measurements. I'm so excited and I know he'll love it.

Meaning Ethan would love it.

"That sounds…nice…"

"Oh yes and when Ethan sees it, well hopefully by then we'll have a special occasion for me to wear it. I mean I'm sorry Edwina, you're a nice girl and pretty enough in your own way but I know he's going to choose me."

"He may not. He might pick me instead…"

Stella waved her hand dismissively.

"I think he'll propose to me when he returns," she said, "In fact I think he misses me already."

Edwina sighed.

"What if he doesn't pick either one of us? He's in San Francisco with Amelia Lawson…the woman he almost married."

"Almost doesn't count. If he ever wanted to marry her, he'd have done it. Instead he put out an advertisement for a woman to marry…"

"That was before she came back wasn't it?"

Stella snorted.

"That doesn't matter Edwina…he's just doing his job," she said, "I don't think that even if Amelia tries to get him back, it'll work."

"I don't know…they're together miles away and we're both back here."

"He said, he'll wire us in a day or so," she said, "I'm sure he wished he could be here but he's got to do his work."

Edwina changed the subject.

"Dakota seems like a nice man."

Stella sneered.

"I think he's arrogant and he acts like he knows everything about everyone."

Edwina felt puzzled at that.

"I don't think so," she said, "He's been very nice to me and helpful with the children when they're in town."

"He's a gambler and a drinker. I know that type very well," Stella said, "Saloon girls…a different one each night is how he spends his time."

"He'll grow out of that and make a woman very happy when he does settle down."

Stella shook her head.

"Edwina…you're such a romantic," she said, "I think he's a lost cause myself…he'll break some woman's heart…probably left a trail of them already."

"Maybe it's just a matter of finding the right woman."

Stella just sighed.

"Who knows, maybe he'll make a nice consolation prize for you when Ethan chooses me to be his bride."

Edwina looked up and saw Dakota by the bar. He saw her and raised his drink to her with a smile. Stella caught that movement and it seemed to rattle her.

Was there some reason that she was worried about Dakota?

* * *

Amelia fixed her hair and she and Ethan left to go meet Thomas for supper in the restaurant. He was as handsome as he remembered and he had an attractive young woman with him at the table. Sophia was her name and she owns a museum that displayed art.

"She's helping me update my collection in the grand hallway."

Sophia beamed.

"It's been my pleasure…I always enjoyed this hotel and its history. I hear it's quite colorful."

Thomas nodded.

"Yes indeed…I learned about most of it from the previous owner when I purchased it."

Sophia sipped her drink.

"Some of the wealthiest most powerful men in this city spent time with their mistresses here," she said, "There was an illicit business that provided such women for men who didn't have time to shop around for them."

Thomas shrugged.

"That era's mostly passed with the red light district," he said, "it's on the other side of town."

Amelia poured herself a glass of wine.

"I know…though it was kept secret when I worked in the mansion though the women had little choice in the matter."

"Amelia, they benefitted in return," Thomas said, "spared from the drudgery and taken care of in ways that made their lives much easier."

"Easier…how…on the men? I didn't see any advantages for the women."

Sophia smiled at her.

"Most of them were immigrants were they not? They'd already struggled and sacrificed so much just to find a new life here."

Amelia sighed.

"I know that…I immigrated myself when I was a young girl," she said, "I was sponsored to travel from Australia to live with a family and go to school here in San Francisco."

Sophia clasped her hands together.

"It sounds wonderful…"

"It never happened. I was put to work as a domestic servant a chambermaid as soon as I arrived at my new home. I worked hard from sunrise to sunset every single day…"

"I'm sure they paid you."

Amelia shook her head.

"They took away for room and board and my clothing," she said, "There were a dozen of us young girls…some of whom wound up with these powerful, wealthy men in hotels like this one."

Ethan glanced over at her but she focused on Thomas and Sophia.

"You weren't…"

She shook her head before Sophia finished.

"No I wasn't…thank goodness," she said, "That wasn't how my life turned out. But that wasn't the case for other girls."

Ethan spoke up.

"I'm in agreement with Amelia…that it was the men who got much more out of it than the young girls."

Thomas shrugged.

"At any rate…it's just a chapter of the hotel I bought," he said, "nothing more than that."

Amelia wanted to say more but she remained silent. It was a lot more than nothing to the women it impacted.

She felt Ethan put his hand on hers and she glanced over at him smiling. Thankful that he was there with her.


	63. Chapter 63

Amelia and Ethan took a walk before heading back to the hotel room. Partly to avoid the obvious that they were sharing a room with only one bed…and a cramped little chaise. She knew they'd be just fine. They'd gone camping after all and shared a blanket without getting themselves wrapped up in each other. Both of them had that self-control after all being adults.

Of course there had been other times when they'd just fallen in each other's arms and gone with it exploring their feelings for each other. No point in remembering those times right now…especially when with a man who didn't have one woman intent on marrying him but two of them. She didn't envy him his job of choosing which of the two to marry.

He'd slid his arm around her waist so they'd look like a proper couple out courting walking about the city which still had quite a few people walking about after dark.

"It's gotten so much larger," Amelia said, "When I was here some of these districts were still being built."

"It's been years since I've been here," Ethan said, "and I'm more familiar with the saloons."

She bit back a smile.

"I'm not surprised…that part of the city's grown too I see."

"A lot of money in drinking, gambling and carousing," Ethan said, "that'll never change."

She felt like rolling her eyes at that as she'd never seen the appeal of such a lifestyle. She knew that Pierce had been more into the gambling than the other two but she wasn't naïve to believe that he'd been completely faithful to her. All those late nights and unanswered questions.

"I suppose…"

"It does for some of us," he said, "when we grow up."

"Some men never do you know."

"True…"

"You don't necessarily know until later on…when the euphoria fades."

Meaning her later realizations about Pierce years into their marriage. But then what should she had expected considering the circumstances of their hasty marriage?

"He got you out of a bad situation Amelia," he said, "Thomas knows more than he's saying about what happened doesn't he?"

She looked at him in surprise.

"He's always been a nice man," she said, "He's a friend of Pierce's though. They used to run together on the social circuit. Both of them considered roguish charmers."

"That doesn't surprise me."

She chuckled.

"Well what about you? You used to be like that only you were a gun slinger. But you hung out in saloons and with different women each time."

He nodded.

"In my younger years I did that."

"I'm not judging you Ethan…it's almost like a rite of passage for young men," she said, "I suppose women have their own rites. I just never knew what they were. I came here as a young girl totally lost in the new world and worked hard all the time…then I rush off and get married at 15."

"I didn't have a childhood either."

She squeezed her arm around him. She knew most of what he had faced or rather survived just to make it to adulthood.

"I had to grow up fast and that's one of the reason I took my sister's children was so they wouldn't wind up like me."

She frowned at him.

"There's nothing wrong with you Ethan. You're a wonderful man and you've done a great job raising the children. You're going to make someone a wonderful husband too."

He fell quiet for a long moment.

"I wanted to make you a wonderful husband."

She glanced at him.

"Ethan…it just didn't work out that way. Not for us, but it doesn't mean that you can't find happiness with someone else. Whether it's Edwina or Stella."

He sighed.

"I still haven't decided which to marry."

"You will Ethan. You'll make the right choice," she said, "Just don't rush it. There's no hurry is there?"

He didn't respond right away.

"Is there?"

"I told you about the judge…Amelia I don't want to lose them," he said, "He gave me some time but I got to get married."

She just looked at him.

"Ethan…I'm sure you'll find someone to marry. You've got two women to court and then to pick which one will be your wife. So the children will be just fine."

He looked at her and then nodded.

"I just don't know which of the two I want to marry…"

She sighed as they continued walking.

"Well you've got time to decide like I said and it's a decision you're going to have to make yourself."

Ethan shook his head.

"Right now I'm going to focus on helping you find Miranda and the baby," he said, "So far we haven't had much luck in the city."

"I know she's here Ethan. It makes sense now that she's come back here. I just hope this Butler hasn't harmed her in any way…or…"

"She'll be all right Amelia…they both will be cause we're going to find them."

Amelia hoped that'd be the case but she didn't think Miranda knew that she'd come to San Francisco and brought Ethan with her."

"What you going to do when you find her? You going to stay in Paradise?"

She didn't answer for a long moment, having not figured that part out yet.

"I don't know Ethan…I don't know what life I have left there…I feel at odds…because it's not the same town that I left."

"Same people there for the most part."

"I'm not the same person either."

He looked at her in a way that almost unnerved her.

"You're still the most beautiful woman I've ever seen Amelia…"

She smiled at that because she knew he meant it. She'd never considered herself all that pretty really but she squeezed his waist again.

"You know how handsome I find you…"

He grinned.

"I believe I do Amelia…You told me during some of our more private moments."

Oh that nearly made her blush. Yes she had done just that but then he'd been making her feel so good…more like a woman than she'd ever felt with Pierce.

"I suppose I did…"

They stopped walking and he turned to face her.

"Amelia….I'm not ever going to forget those times we shared together."

The tone of his voice, the way his eyes looked at her…almost undid her on the spot. She didn't know how to respond to that…not after the way.

"Me neither…what happened Ethan…it'll never change that fact. It's just that you've got a chance at a new life and I think you should take it…"

They continued walking and he was at a loss of how to respond to that, much to his chagrin.


	64. Chapter 64

Claire and Edwina watched the boys play with the puppy dogs in town at Mr. Lee's store where his two sons had been raising them. Ben and George of course wanted to take one home with them but Claire told them they'd have to ask Uncle Ethan first.

"When's he coming back," George said, "from San Francisco with Mrs. Lawson?"

Claire sighed, not knowing the answer to that. They hadn't received any wires yet from either one of them but she figured it'd be at least another week.

"I don't know George but you'll still have to wait."

He pouted for a few seconds then went back to join the others. Claire thought the pups cute and thought it might be nice to have a watchdog to warn them of coyotes and one of Uncle Ethan's uninvited guests so she'd talk to him about it when he returned. Edwina had wanted to take them into town to visit with their friends since they'd spent so much time on the ranch. Stella had been left behind to clean the kitchen since she'd volunteered to do that. Claire noticed that she'd seemed a bit restless staying at the ranch when she couldn't find an excuse to go to town. She wondered how the flighty woman would ever survive life with her uncle and her brothers on the ranch. Edwina seemed to be more content with staying there and looking after them.

She did much more of the chores and spent more time there than Stella. Ethan had asked for a report when he came back from his trip.

"I hope he'll be back soon," she said, "The boys have their heart set on a pup and I don't think it's a bad idea."

Edwina smiled.

"They look cute together with them," she said, "I had a dog growing up and he protected us from bears and mountain lions."

"You didn't grow up in a big city?"

Edwina shook her head.

"I grew up on a farm," she said, "in a big family but I had to leave it to earn my way and send money back for the littler ones."

Claire smiled.

"I helped Mama take care of the boys especially when she took sick and now I help run the household for Uncle Ethan."

Edwina furrowed her brows.

"Don't you get tired of it…you're still a young girl."

Claire shook her head.

"I want to help out in any way I can. We could have easily wound up on an orphan train if not for him."

"He seems to be a very kind man…"

"Oh he is…he just wants us all to stay together," Claire said, "So we won't be split up and taken away from him."

"That's why he wants to get married to one of us."

'Maybe that's not the only reason…maybe there's other grown up reasons."

Edwina smiled.

"I imagine so…We've all got our reasons. He does…I do…Stella too. He's just going to have to make a decision at some point what he wants and who he wants."

Claire digested that.

"It might not be either one of you either…if he and Amelia decide they want to get back together while they're in San Francisco."

* * *

Edwina fell silent when she heard those words. Claire knew the woman must have considered it…that when given a choice between two alternatives that Ethan might pick a third one instead.

Amelia had slept very well once she and Ethan had sorted out the bed. He's been a gentleman and kept to his half of it. It'd taken a while for her to fall asleep even after he did…she'd just watched him lying there in slumber completely relaxed, his face at peace. Perhaps dreaming about his wedding to either Stella or Edwina that lay in his future.

As for her she really hadn't thought of her own life once she found Miranda and the baby making sure that they were safe from Carlton.

She woke up finally and saw the other half empty knowing that he must have risen already. She grabbed a dressing robe and slipped it on over her nightgown. He was in the main area having already cleaned himself up. His eyes brightened when he saw her.

"Good morning Amelia."

"Morning Ethan…I must have overslept."

"I just got up myself. That bed was pretty comfortable."

She couldn't argue with that once she'd gotten used to him being so close to her. Close enough almost to…but she didn't want to think about that. Bad enough that her body remembered what it'd been like to be touched by him, so thoroughly loved by him it made her blush just to remember and she didn't want him to see it.

"I want to look in the other side of the city."

"That's the so-called red light district Amelia," he said, "I'm not sure we'll have much luck there."

She sighed.

"We need to check everywhere," she said, "Carlton and his men won't be looking there either so maybe it's the safest place for her."

Ethan considered that and nodded.

"We'll get some breakfast first and then head on over there."

She went to her things to start to freshen up down the hall.

"I'll be back."

After she left, Ethan finished getting his boots on. He'd slept well last night but woke up several times to see her sleeping next to him, her face serene. It'd been all he could do not to remember what it'd been like the last time they'd shared a bed. She was one of those special women who could drive a man crazy without even trying. She touched him and he wanted her more than he could stand simple as that.

She'd been a little shy that first time but that didn't last long. It'd been damn difficult last night to not even say anything but she'd been right. Everything had changed between them.

But still before she returned, he wondered what it'd be like if they forgot all of that and picked up where they left off.

Then again he'd never know.


	65. Chapter 65

They ate breakfast at the restaurant and then headed out to the other section of town after Ethan went to get their buggy. The streets were milling with a lot of people and the streets filled with people on horseback and driving buggies and wagons. Just another morning in San Francisco.

"It's a lot different than home."

Ethan tugged on the reins.

"Sure is…but I couldn't live in a city like this one," he said, "I'd rather raise the children in a small town with less temptation to get into trouble."

She smiled at him.

"Did you fall into temptation first time you were here?"

He glanced at her.

"A time or two…when I was younger."

"I can imagine," she said, "The children have really settled you down haven't they?"

He sighed looking out at the businesses that streamed by them.

"They among other things."

"So you really think you're ready to settle into married life," she said, "once you pick your wife of course."

He paused.

"I think it's time for me to settle down," he said, "and the children need a woman in the household."

"I agree….Claire's done a great job but she's still a young girl. She needs to be able to have a mother too."

"I know…I haven't made it easier for her either being so busy with the marshaling."

They turned off the main street into one narrower lined with shops closer together and people spilling out into the street.

"Ethan you do the best you can," she said, "You've done an amazing job with the children."

"I had help from you. Couldn't have done it without you."

She glanced away.

"Until I took off and left you," she said, "I don't know why I did it. Well I know why but I could have handled myself better."

"Amelia I didn't make life easy for you," he said, "with my past coming back after me so many times…couldn't even propose to you in peace."

"No you couldn't…but I knew what I was getting myself into and I fell in love with you anyway."

Her cheeks flushed a bit that she'd admitted that much but he knew that about her anyway. She knew that he'd loved her too.

She looked on the sidewalk and saw a young girl standing by a news stand.

"Isn't that Charlie?"

Ethan looked over and saw the girl who hadn't spotted them yet.

"I think it is..."

He pulled the buggy over near a hitching post and they got out to approach the girl. Amelia met her from the front.

"Hi Charlie…"

The girl looked up, her eyes widened and she looked like she might try to run away. She backed up straight against Ethan and turned around suddenly.

"Get out of my way…"

"You in a hurry?"

She folded her arms staring at him.

"I'm not going to steal anything if that's what you think."

Amelia smiled at the girl.

"We don't think that. It's nice to see you again. Do you live around here?"

Charlie just looked at her.

"Why do you want to know? Look you got your purse back."

"I know that," Amelia said, "I just hope you're not out here by yourself."

Charlie narrowed her eyes.

"What's it to you anyway if I were? Not that I am cause I got lots of friends."

Amelia rested a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"That's good to know. I'm looking for my friend."

Charlie looked up at her.

"You've got a friend here?"

Amelia glanced at Ethan and nodded.

"Her name's Miranda and she and I worked together in a big house in this city years ago."

Charlie appeared to digest that information.

"You work as maids for one of the rich families?"

Amelia nodded.

"The big house at the top of the hill."

"I seen that one," Charlie said, "There's a family there now that's lived there. The man's someone real important."

Amelia looked at Ethan.

"I wonder if it's the same family or if they sold the house to someone else."

Charlie shrugged.

"Don't know…I was born here but don't know much more than that," she said, "But I heard stories about the families on the hill. They had fancy parties wearing the nicest clothes. We used to see them in their buggies going up the drive."

Amelia smiled.

"I worked at some of those parties," she said, "serving food to the guests and working in the kitchen. Lots of very important and powerful people at the parties."

Charlie shrugged.

"Doesn't matter much to most of us down here," she said, "A whole 'nother world."

"I suppose it would be," Amelia said, "Miranda and me…we used to wonder about the lives these people lived when they left the parties. We spent so much of our days working…we didn't get out very much in the city."

Charlie shook her head.

"Not much to see…if I had money I'd get out of here myself."

Amelia smiled again.

"Where'd you go?"

"I don't know…lot of places out there to go and to see."

Amelia remembered when she had felt that way when she'd been living and working in the mansion. She'd shared that with Pierce that she wanted to travel around and see all the sights of this vast new country. She'd even had a scrap book with pictures of the places she dreamed on going.

"I got places to go and things to do," Charlie said, "I'll see you around."

Both Amelia and Ethan watched Charlie walk down the street and they got back in the buggy. Ethan picked up the reins.

"Let's get going…"

She nodded and they started heading towards the red light district where they hoped answers awaited them.

"I wonder about her…does she have any parents around here."

Ethan kept his eye on the street in front of him.

"I don't know…I imagine not…there's a lot of orphans in this city. Some get abandoned here."

"I know…that was true when I lived here," Amelia said, "the family used to have connections with a local home for children…born of mothers who were unmarried."

They kept driving and she remembered those times which sometimes seemed so long ago.


	66. Chapter 66

_Amelia had been polishing the silver for yet another party when she first heard the news. Miranda breezed in on her way to hanging the linins out to dry to tell her the latest on what had been happening with Rebecca. _

"_She's been ailing in the mornings," she said, "Every morning so she can't eat. She's right by midday but you know what that means"_

_Amelia knew even though she was but barely 15 herself. She knew about what it meant to be a young woman though she hadn't learned it from any parents or even her guardians. The other girls she worked with had set her straight on a few facts of womanhood. Not that they were discussed in anything louder than whispers in the dead of night or in the pantries where these discussions were held in more discrete manners The first time she'd hit a milestone in her maturity…she didn't even want to think past the embarrassment of it now. If it hadn't been for Miranda and yes, Rebecca, she might have thought she was gravely ill herself. _

"_Is she going to have a baby?"_

_Miranda shook her head. _

"_Amelia you can't come out and say it like that," she said, "It's called being in a delicate condition or even expectant…but it has to be said quietly lest anyone overhear."_

_Amelia understood that because one or more of the other girls had taken ill in the mornings and had pale faces…one had fainted in the hallway while beating the curtains with a broom. They hadn't stayed in the manor long after that. She didn't know where they went…except for Grace who had returned but had been quieter and more reserved since, obviously not the same girl she'd been before the morning malaise. _

"_They're going to find out," Amelia said, "She can't hide it better than the others. Why would she do such a thing? We're forbidden to consort with anyone while working…which is all the time."_

_Miranda sighed. _

"_It was one of the Master's colleagues…I saw her with him at a party," she said, "I asked her about him but she wouldn't say anything…just that she thought him dashing. How foolish of her!"_

_Amelia agreed. She had no intentions herself of getting involved with any man. She was just 15 and though some married younger than that, she had no intention of joining that group. But it was too late for Rebecca…her delicate condition wouldn't stay hidden for long. Soon enough she would be among the missing. _

"_How foolish indeed…"_

* * *

She thought of that when she rode with Ethan out to the red light district area of San Francisco past the agency where unwanted children had congregated to be put on orphan trains across the country or if they were lucky, to be put up for adoption privately.

"I know several young women who ended up in those straits," she said, "The ones who worked in the manor. They would be found out of course before too long and they would be removed…I think they thought the rest of us would be unduly influenced."

Ethan glanced over at her.

"Did they have their children in San Francisco?"

"I don't know…I imagine it's possible," she said, "One of them returned, Grace but she wasn't ever the same."

"I imagine not. If she returned there without her child."

Amelia fell silent.

"These women…they never said who the men were…sometimes we guessed," she said, "but we never knew for sure. Whether they were local boys or one of the male servants."

"What happened to the fathers?"

"I don't know…without knowing who they were…it was all shrouded in such secrecy. The senior servants, they would warn us to stay away from the men…to focus on our work. But sometimes…"

Ethan glanced over to wait for her to finish but she just looked ahead, lost in thought.

"Sometimes…"

She nodded, her eyes looking troubled.

"Sometimes I think the men took advantage of some of the girls," she said, "A lot of them were married, some even had children at home but they didn't bring their wives to some of the parties."

They approached the narrower street with what looked like mainly saloons and flophouses. It had a different atmosphere from the section near their hotel.

"Amelia…you best be careful here," he said, "It could get a little rough."

She smiled at him.

"I can take care of myself," she said, "I've been in rougher spots."

He got out and hitched the horse to a post and then helped her out of the buggy.

"Stay close to me okay?"

She touched his arm.

"That won't be so tough Ethan," she said, "Let's go and see if anyone has seen her."

He nodded and they walked down the street. Some men walking by leered at Amelia and Ethan just shot them a look back. They approached one where they saw a woman dressed up like a saloon girl came out to coax Ethan to join her in the saloon.

"Come on handsome…buy a lady a drink?"

He smiled at her.

"Sorry I've got the fiancée with me and she thinks three's a crowd."

The woman frowned after eying Amelia standing there next to her mark.

"She's not your wife yet is she? Why don't you send her off shopping why I take care of some of your other needs?"

Amelia couldn't believe how brazen the woman acted. She put her hands on her hips.

"Excuse me…you trying to take my man away from me like some common troll up."

The woman moved closer to Amelia, trying to stare her down.

"Who's common? I bet you're one of those well-bred ladies from the hills who keeps your legs closed driving your men to us for comfort."

Amelia's eyes flashed.

"Hey…"

Ethan stepped between the two of them.

"Listen…it's nice of you to offer but you can see my woman doesn't like to share," he said, "and I'm still in the business of courting her so I got to make her happy."

The woman tilted her face.

"You aren't getting any…it's all over your face."

Ethan and Amelia looked at each other. Amelia pursed her lips.

"That's not your affair," she said, "That's between him and me…now move along."

Just then another woman with curly red hair wearing a similar get up walked up to them.

"Hey Rosetta stop bothering them," she said, "King's looking for you inside."

The other woman scowled.

"Why don't you handle him Bette? I'm busy out here."

Bette's mouth curved into a smile.

"I can see that but you don't want King to tan that hide of yours, you best get inside."

Rosetta shot Ethan and Amelia one last look before walking back in the saloon. Bette turned towards the couple.

"I'll have to apologize to you for her behavior," she said, "But it's a business and she's just trying to make a sale."

Ethan rubbed the back of his neck obviously relieved.

"I understand but my fiancée and I were down in this part of town looking for a friend of hers," he said, "You see, Amelia here wants her to be her maid of honor at our wedding right quick and we came here looking for her."

Bette looked skeptical and couldn't be blamed for that. It was a pretty sketchy story.

"She got a name?"

Amelia nodded.

"Miranda…she used to work with me in one of the manors up in the hills," she said, "She moved to Virginia City and was living there before she came back here."

Bette appeared to think about it.

"I don't think I've heard of her," she said, "But I'll ask the other girls."

Then she looked up the street and saw a band of men riding up on horseback.

"Oh damn it's them again."

Ethan and Amelia looked at the approaching men.

"Marshals?"

Bette sighed.

"What do you think? We probably owe them some money."

She went inside the saloon and Ethan and Amelia watched as the men got off their horses and followed her.


	67. Chapter 67

Ethan and Amelia had watched the men go inside the saloon and they didn't look like deputies. Just men wearing guns and who carried some authority in this part of town.

"Looks like a protection racket," he said, "Pay them to look the other way. Must be time to collect the rent."

She watched.

"I was hoping Bette would talk with us, tell us more that she knew."

"She will if that's what she really wants," he said, "We'd better get out of here."

Amelia's eyes still remained on the activity inside the building.

"You don't think they're going to arrest anyone."

Ethan shook his head.

"They'll just scare them some and then collect their money," he said, "Saw many a racket like this one in the big cities and some of the smaller towns too."

Amelia looked at the building as they walked back to the buggy.

"So what do we do now?"

He helped her board the buggy.

"We come back later and see if we can talk to Bette when these men are gone."

She nodded as he flicked the reins and the horse took off down the street.

* * *

Dakota had been looking through the wanted posters to see if there was any sign of Stella's face adorning one of them. He had his suspicions about her and that included wondering if she were an outlaw. It wouldn't be the first time one of the female persuasion had wound up trying to wheedle her way in Ethan's good graces or his life. There'd been the teacher that had been hired to look after the children when he'd been busy working. If it hadn't been for Amelia's suspicions then they might have all been fooled by the sweet talking con artist.

Some of the women went for his good looks and Ethan had them, others were more interested in taking advantage of his position as town marshal and then there were those like Stella that he couldn't quite figure out yet. But she was after something, he knew it and more than likely, she'd ran away from something too.

He'd find out the answers to all his questions hopefully before Ethan returned from his trip to San Francisco with Amelia. He hoped they'd find Miranda before her husband did but he'd been getting wires from Carlton who was disgusted by the lack of progress at finding his errant wife. More accusations that she'd been unduly influenced at the very least by Amelia.

Dakota just wanted to junk them but he knew that would lead to Carlton riding to Paradise and he wanted to avoid a repeat performance.

"So what you been looking for…with those posters?"

He looked up and saw Charlie walking towards him. The other deputy had been out talking to the business owners about a rash of thefts that had taken place in Silver Cliff. The marshal there thought the thieves had moved on with increased patrols but warned all the neighboring towns.

Dakota put the stack down.

"Nothing…just routine," he said, "Any of them tell you anything?"

Charlie shrugged.

"No thefts reported…I think they skipped Paradise and probably moved on."

"I hope so," Dakota said, "Less time to deal with that, more time for the poker match tonight."

Charlie sighed.

"I lost everything last night," he said, "I think I'll stick to drinking and stay away from the table."

Dakota chuckled.

"I'm feeling really lucky especially with Ethan gone."

"He hadn't played much since his women showed up," Charlie said, "I can't imagine why a fellow would let a woman ruin all his fun."

"Women Charlie…women….lucky man."

Charlie shook his head.

"I was engaged once…she wanted to go to church every single day to pray and told me to ask forgiveness any time I drank or played cards."

Dakota laughed.

"That's why I don't plan on ever hitching myself to one woman," he said, "not when there's so many pretty ladies out there."

"True…I learned that lesson myself."

Dakota picked up the posters and started going through them looking for one particular lady but nothing showed up. Stella had her secrets and he was determined to uncover them.

There was a reason she planned to marry Ethan that went beyond his good looks and a desire to be a mother to the children. Dakota felt sure of it and he was going to find out why.

* * *

Amelia and Ethan reached the hotel and walked to their suite. Back together in the confined space where they were both trying not to remember their past. She glanced at him as he went to sit in a chair and she hit the chaise.

"I'm going back later tonight…to talk to Bette."

"She'll be working," Ethan said, "We should try again tomorrow morning."

"I don't know if I can wait that long," she said, "I'm worried about Miranda."

He sighed.

"We know she's probably still here and probably still alive," he said, "She's just lying low I think until she feel safe to come out."

"I still don't know why she came here Ethan. This city didn't hold good memories for her. She was so happy to get away."

Ethan looked at her carefully.

"Were you?"

She paused and then nodded.

"I was getting married to Pierce…I was supposed to be happy on my wedding day. Why wouldn't I be?"

He shook his head.

"I know that he was trying to protect you," he said, "that gives him a bit higher standing in my eyes."

She bit back her smile. She knew that even when Pierce had been helping Ethan, that he never liked him. He just never cottoned to a man who would abandon his wife for three years and then show up just to steal money from her to pay off some men who'd come after him.

"Yes he was…Miranda insisted that I marry him and leave with him one night," she said, "I was willing to do it. Pierce fascinated me…he was so genteel, so sophisticated so worldly. So different than anyone I'd ever known."

Ethan remained silent.

"I didn't know how he'd turn out," she said, "I was still so young myself but when we settled down in Paradise, it gave me more of a chance to see a side of him that I hadn't."

Ethan remembered what had happened when he'd run into Pierce and marched him to see his wife at the bank. Amelia's first reaction upon seeing her wayward husband had been to punch him in the stomach. She hadn't much else to say to him.

He'd thought that he'd lose Amelia to the smooth talking conman from Virginia but her ex-husband hadn't been what broke them up.

"Miranda never told you why she did that."

Amelia shook her head.

"Never…even when we met up again several months ago," she said, "She was about to have her baby then."

The one that had vanished with her.

"I hope they're both safe…Carlton's a very determined man…and very powerful and wealthy."

"He hasn't found her yet," Ethan said, "I think she's picked her hiding place well."

"I hope so…"

Then they both heard footsteps near their door of their suite and an envelope appear in front of them.


	68. Chapter 68

Edwina washed the dishes that Claire had cleared off the table. Ben and George were doing their homework finally with Claire helping George with his reading lessons. He'd been struggling in school with it and they didn't know why. So Claire after finishing her lesson plans spent extra time with him at the dining room table.

"This is the last one…"

Edwina smiled and took it.

"That's fine…I washed more dishes than this at home," she said, "Plus I did some time at a boarding house."

"You did?"

Edwina nodded.

"I had to scrape out a living somehow and help my family keep the farm during the drought years."

She took the dish and washed it as Claire went out to the dining room. She didn't know where Stella was at the moment. She'd been out of the house since earlier that morning. Probably doing more shopping at the clothing stores and the mercantile, maybe eating at the restaurant. Ethan being gone had no idea that Stella was barely spending anytime that was meaningful at the ranch house.

He'd just have to find out when he came back. They hadn't heard a word from him since he and Amelia took off for San Francisco to go find her friend. She'd been holding down the household with Claire, not that she minded. The boys, she grew to like a lot and Claire was nice to talk to while they did chores. She reminded her of a younger sister she had while growing up.

Claire walked inside the kitchen.

"I don't know why George is struggling with his letters," she said, "I've been trying to teach him how to read but he's not got that far."

Edwina narrowed her eyes.

"I had a hard time learning," she said, "Maybe I can help him."

Claire brightened.

"Maybe you can…I'm running his letters and words later on so maybe you can join us."

Edwina nodded.

"That would be good…"

They heard a knocking on the door and Claire went to answer it. On the doorstep stood Dakota and Stella.

Claire tilted her face.

"Dakota…what are you doing here?"

Stella just looked at her.

"Nice to see you too…You don't even ask me why I'm late?"

Claire shot Stella a look.

"You're always late…"

Stella's jaw dropped.

"Why you impertinent little girl," she said, "Always judgmental. Wait until you've been out in the hard world a while."

Claire just shook her head.

"Edwina and I finished making supper and cleaning up the kitchen," she said, "Ben and George are doing their homework so you can do the chores in the barn."

Stella folded her arms.

"I can't do that…I had such a busy day," she said, "I think I'll turn in early."

Both Claire and Edwina looked at each other. Stella glanced at Dakota.

"Won't you tell them how busy I was in town," she said, "and still no word from Ethan on when he'll be returning."

Claire arched her brows.

"You checked the wire office?"

Stella nodded.

"For the good it did…Really he's been gone for several days with that…that Amelia and it shouldn't take so long."

Dakota sighed.

"It took a couple days to get there and they've only been there two days," he said, "They might be there at least a week."

Stella groaned.

"He didn't say it'd be that long. I miss him so. If he wanted to pick a wife…he should be spending time in the same town as us."

Claire pursed her lips.

"This came up…and he's got a job to do. They need to find Amelia's friend and her baby before harm comes to them."

Stella snorted.

"I think it's all exaggerated. Really Carlton seems like a gentleman hardly like someone who'd hurt a woman."

Edwina countered.

"Stella you don't know that…Carlton could be dangerous. His men tried to shoot Amelia."

The other woman shook her head.

"I don't believe that…and maybe she provoked him."

Claire folded her arms.

"How could you say that? My uncle was there and saw what happened. I believe what he said about it and I hope he and Amelia can find Miranda…and soon."

"I'm hoping for soon, meaning that he'll be back in Paradise," Stella said, "We need to find out which of us is going to be his wife."

Dakota shook his head.

"You sound almost desperate Stella…"

She turned on him in a huff.

"I am not…I just traveled a long distance in response to his advertisement and well, I want to marry him and make him happy…and the children of course."

Dakota listened to her but he had his serious doubts. He hoped some of the wires he sent out would give him some answers.

* * *

Amelia and Ethan turned towards the door and saw the envelope appear underneath it. Ethan gestured her back and with his hand on his gun, he walked towards the door and opened it carefully prepared for anything that might be waiting.

But all he saw was empty hallway. He went back inside and picked up the envelope. Amelia walked over to him.

"What's inside it?"

He opened the unmarked envelope and pulled out a slip of paper.

"It's from Butler…"

Amelia's eyes widened.

"What does he want?"

"I'm not the best reader but from what I can make out, he wants us to meet with him at the Golden Gate Park tomorrow afternoon."

Amelia nodded.

"Yes I remember it. Miranda and I used to walk through it when we were away from the manor."

Ethan put the letter and envelope on a table.

"I wonder what he wants."

"He must know something about Miranda…he's why we're here."

Ethan frowned.

"It could be a trap. Some way to stop anyone from finding her."

Amelia sat in the chaise considering that. She knew that it was possible that other people might be interested in finding Miranda…besides Carlton. She hadn't considered that side of it much.

"It could be someone who knows you."

She hadn't considered that possibility at all.

"Ethan…why would anyone want to find me? I left when I got married to Pierce…I didn't keep in touch."

He sat down next to her.

"Maybe Butler's someone from your past."

She just stared at him.

"I don't have one Ethan. I came here, stayed here several years and then I left."

"Amelia…Miranda told you to leave."

She considered that for a long moment just looking at her hands.

"She never really told me why…not even years later."

Ethan sighed leaning back into the chaise.

"I don't know if I want to take that chance that Butler's setting you up for something."

She shook her head.

"You don't expect me not to go to that meeting. That's just crazy…I need to find out what happened to her and if he's got the answers…"

No one was going to stop her from meeting with Butler including Ethan. If he didn't know how resolute she could be by now, he was about to learn.

No one told her what she could and could not do…not when her friends were involved.


	69. Chapter 69

Stella muttered before settling into bed next to Edwina who had the lantern on to read a book. She liked Charles Dickens and had offered up one of his books to Stella who just waved her hand in refusal.

"No…I've got better things to do than read books."

Edwina had read part of David Copperfield to George in helping him with his lessons and he had enjoyed it. He wanted to do some writing himself once he learned that skill.

"He loves to tell stories," She said, "George is quite imaginative."

Stella shrugged.

"I suppose so but he'd be better off at a special school."

Edwina narrowed her eyes.

"A special school? What are you talking about?"

Stella sat on the bed.

"Oh a private one that's in another city that has specialized lesson plans and teachers," she said, "I just think he needs more attention."

"But to have him move away from his family. I don't think Ethan would ever go for it."

Stella tilted her face.

"Oh he could be persuaded. I think it would be good for all the children actually. There's not much for them in Paradise."

Edwina shook her head.

"They belong here with their uncle. To have them move away…it would be disruptive and traumatic."

Stella snorted.

"Hardly…will it be the best thing for them," she said, "You've seen how disobedient and unruly they can be."

"They're just children…"

"That's no excuse. They need to stay here with their uncle. How could you even think such a thing?"

Stella sighed.

"Calm down Edwina…it's just an idea after all. I'm sure it's up to Ethan to decide how to handle the children's education."

"I should think so and I can't see him wanting to send them away from home for that."

Stella knew that was exactly what Ethan needed to do. She wanted to spend some time alone with her new husband after the honeymoon. They needed some time together without the distraction of children. She knew that she could find ways to convince him that her way was the best way. After she worked some of her wiles on him…he'd be more than happy to do what she wanted.

Joseph needed to go to military school, she thought. He had some unruliness in his past she knew and it had to be dealt with.

"Well it needs to remain just an idea Stella," Edwina said, "I think the children are wonderful and if I marry him…I want them to stay in Paradise with us."

Stella threw the other woman a pithy look.

"Ethan won't marry you…he has his eyes on me. I can tell that. The way he looked at me as he prepared to go to San Francisco."

Edwina struggled to remember whether Ethan had really given Stella a special look. No, he didn't seem to pay much attention to either of them. He seemed focused on helping Amelia…and on Amelia in general.

"He was looking at Amelia…and talking about her."

"Just how to help her," Stella said, "He doesn't care about her anymore."

"You don't know that. They were almost married and now they're together and sharing a hotel room."

Stella gritted her teeth.

"A suite…like we do at the hotel."

Edwina shrugged.

"If they rekindle their relationship he won't marry either one of us."

Stella's nostrils flared.

"That's not going to happen," she said, "He'll want to walk down the aisle with me. You just wait and see. We'll be married as soon as he returns."

Somehow Edwina seriously doubted that.

* * *

Amelia sat back on the chaise after they'd eaten dinner. She felt tired because they'd walked so much and covered a lot of the city in two days. Still no sign of Miranda and she knew that the woman had hidden herself well. She didn't know why.

It didn't seem as if it were only about her husband who no doubt had men out looking for her. They'd arrive in San Francisco soon…it was only a matter of time. But it seemed deeper than that to Amelia…as if there was another reason Miranda had returned to the place she'd spent some of her formative years.

Amelia didn't know why. She'd never felt the same need to return to the city that she left when she got married. So why had it mattered to Miranda?

"Ethan…I just wish I knew why she'd returned here…more and more I wonder if it had anything to do with Carlton at all."

He looked over at her from his chair.

"You think that it might have to do with her time at the manor?"

"Maybe…I still don't know much except what she told me. She really wanted me to marry Pierce and now I understand why. It wasn't because he was such a fine husband."

Ethan wasn't going to argue with that. He'd never been married, the closest had been his engagement to Amelia but he couldn't fathom treating his wife like Pierce had done.

"Amelia…we'll find out the answers. As long as you understand that Butler might have other motives involved with the meeting."

She nodded.

"I know but that's a risk we'll have to take. I have to find her and I think he knows something."

"Unless he's holding her for some ransom."

She'd thought about that.

"He'd contact her husband," she said, "rather than me don't you think?"

Ethan nodded. Amelia stretched her arms and smiled at him.

"I think I'll turn in," she said, "I mean what I said, you get half as long as you behave yourself."

He smiled.

"I will…I'm tired too."

She pursed her lips.

"I know you've got two pretty women waiting in Paradise and I respect that…so I'm not going to do or say anything…"

He interjected.

"You don't have to worry…I haven't made my mind up about getting married."

"But the children…didn't you say?"

He hedged.

"I know but there might be a way to keep them without getting a wife…maybe I can hire a lawyer and fight it."

She considered that.

"You could…I do know some good lawyers."

He got up off of his chair.

"I haven't decided…but I have to say I'm feeling lucky to be here with you right now."

She shot him a knowing look. He coughed.

"No not like that…I mean it's good for us to be together, working together again. We make a team."

She nodded.

"Yes we do. I just want you to understand that I'm not going to take advantage of us…I'm here to find Miranda and the baby. I owe them that and so much more Ethan…"

She looked vulnerable then, something in her eyes which had always struck him as the most beautiful but she covered it with a smile. She moved up to him and damn if she didn't kiss his cheek, touching it afterward with her fingers.

"Goodnight Ethan…"

He watched her walk into the bedroom.


	70. Chapter 70

Amelia woke up first and felt some weight on her waist. She glanced over and saw that Ethan lay there still asleep, his arm lying across her body. He'd joined her and they'd talked for a few moments in darkness before succumbing to exhaustion.

He said they had to come up with a plan the following morning for their meeting with Butler at Golden Gate Park. They still had no idea what he wanted from them. Whether it was to help them find Miranda and the baby or to use them to get at them. Amelia told him she was willing to take that chance to help her friend.

"We'll have a plan whatever happens," Ethan said, "but we don't know who this man is or what he wants."

"I know Ethan but she'd do it for me and I'm going to meet with Butler for her."

He'd then stroked some hair out of her face and she'd remembered how lovely it had felt when he touched her like that…and in other ways.

"Goodnight Amelia…"

She smiled at him as she told him goodnight as well.

Now she'd woken up feeling very refreshed with him still there next to her. She didn't want to wake him up so she tried to get up. But she loved having him next to her like that though she'd never admit it. Not when he had two women waiting for him back in Paradise, one of which he'd marry. She couldn't even imagine what the wedding would be like. What it'd be to watch him walk down the aisle with someone else…not her. They'd come so close to being married themselves. It was likely for the best that it never happened to them given that she left him so suddenly but a part of her…she wished it had been her. They'd be living with the children and maybe…there'd be another one on the way.

She hadn't thought about that with Pierce. They'd been living from one adventure to the next. Well that's what she called them at the time because in reality he was running from one land fraud scam to the next and she was merely helping him get away without realizing it.

Then for some reason she couldn't remember now, they'd settled in Paradise and maybe because they stayed in one place long enough, they got on each other's nerves.

They'd still loved each other…or so she thought. Then something had happened to sever them even before he abandoned her. She closed her eyes again not wanting to think about it. It'd been several years since…and even when he'd returned into her life they never talked about it.

The man next to her began to stir. She sat up as he moved. His eyes opened and immediately focused on her.

"Good morning Amelia…"

"Good morning…"

He looked around him. Sunlight streamed into the window. Time to get ready to plan their meeting later with Butler.

"We can do it over something to eat at the restaurant."

She nodded and they both got ready.

* * *

Dakota looked at Charlie.

"Any word from Ethan?"

Charlie shook his head.

"Not even a wire. You don't suppose he and Amelia ran into trouble?"

Dakota shook his head.

"They're probably just busy…we'll hear from one of them soon."

Charlie leaned back in his chair looking at the Wanted posters on the walls.

"I hope they wind her because Carlton did send another wire that he's going to be sending men out and that might include San Francisco."

Dakota paused.

"Wouldn't surprise me. The man's resourceful and he's got a lot of money and power. He can do just about anything he wants."

Charlie scratched his head.

"How are things at his ranch…what with two women looking after the children?"

Dakota smiled.

"Interesting…Edwina's used to looking after younger children…you can tell. She's got a good head on those shoulders…"

"Stella? The real pretty one?"

"She's a pretty one…a real piece of work all right. I keep looking for her in the Wanted posters and wires. I don't know but she's striking me as suspicious. The woman's hiding something and I wonder if she's using Ethan to hide from something big."

Charlie shrugged.

"No telling with women these days…what they want and what they're up to…why I'm a bachelor and I'll always be one."

Dakota laughed.

"Good way to live…you get variety…why settle down with only one of them?"

Charlie turned serious.

"Almost did once…she was pretty too…not like Stella but her mama didn't like me. Didn't think I'd amount to much."

"But you're a deputy and you've been marshal."

"I didn't start out that way. My family was real poor. Her family came from some money. It'd never work."

"What happened to her?"

"I received a letter from my mama saying she found herself a real gentleman and got married. They settled, got three children."

"You still got your freedom."

Charlie smiled at that just as Carlton walked in the office. He frowned at their cheerfulness.

"I need to talk to you about a matter," he said, "I need your help."

* * *

Amelia and Ethan ate breakfast at the restaurant. They'd gotten dressed, cleaned up and had been talking about what they would plan on the way. But they still couldn't decide. Amelia wanted to take a major role in the meeting. Ethan didn't want her to get into any real danger. She didn't like being told what to do.

"Ethan I can handle myself. I can shoot well, ride well and my father taught me how to fight."

He suppressed a smile.

"Amelia I know that but this man could come out shooting. It could be an ambush."

"It could be a meeting that leads us right to Miranda too. Ethan I owe her so much and I'm going to help her. I'm not asking your permission."

"I know that Amelia. I just don't want anything to happen to you."

"Nothing will…we'll find the two of them and get them settled in a new life and then we'll head on back to Paradise."

"You going back there?"

She nodded.

"At least for a little while. Even if I leave, I still have to settle some affairs."

Ethan just looked at her.

"You'd leave."

She sighed.

"Ethan…you've got a good future in front of you. You're getting married to either Stella or Edwina and you'll have a mother for the children. What could be better than that?"

He just kept looking at her, suddenly not sure that's what he wanted at all. At least not with the two women vying for the position as his bride. He'd seemed so sure of himself but now…looking at the woman in front of him…he didn't feel so sure at all.


	71. Chapter 71

_Amelia remembered the days she'd worked so hard at the manor, her hands cracked and nearly bled. She'd wash linins some days and curtains the next…or polish silver and beat Persian style rugs. She'd get up before the sun and go some days without even seeing it depending on where they put her to work. Having spent much of her life riding and working in wide open country in Australia to say she experienced culture shock was putting it lightly. _

_The main housekeeper constantly barked at her to work faster when her hands barely could move at all. Some mornings after a long day, just wiggling her fingers or clenching them into a fist proved difficult at first…until she ran water over them. Miranda felt it worse than she did because she'd been at it longer…until the head of the manor began to favor her. _

_Pierce used to come over and go riding with him and another cousin. They'd spend the morning out on the countryside with their horses and then come back and eat a meal on the veranda next to the garden. She served them sometimes along with Miranda who clearly had attracted attention from the one she called the Duke. They'd walk off together in the garden at times leaving Amelia to clear the plates while Pierce sat there watching. _

_Clearly amused at something if not with her. _

"_So where are you from anyway?"_

_She just looked at him. _

"_Your accent…it's very lovely…different."_

_She smiled at him for that. _

"_I'm from Australia…"_

"_So you're not a citizen?"_

_She shook her head. _

"_I was sponsored by the Duke."_

_Pierce seemed to digest that. He was handsome in a boyish way though he was at least 10 years older than her. A gentleman from Virginia…descended from cotton. His father owned his own cluster of mercantiles across the state or so he said. She didn't know what he said was the truth but he was charming. That she did know about him. _

"_He sponsored you to be his maid?"_

_She folded her arms looking at him. _

"_Excuse me?"_

"_That's what he did you know. Bet he told your family that you were going to be educated and also schooled on how to be a proper young lady."_

_She couldn't deny it…but she couldn't say it out loud either. _

"_I've learned much since coming here."_

_He leaned back in his chair totally relaxed. _

"_You're quite pretty just the way he likes them."_

"_Who likes them?"_

"_The Duke of course. He's spending time with Miranda but he's got his eye on you…and I can see why."_

_She felt confused by his words. She hadn't even seen the Duke that often as he was out and about…to him she was just one of many young women who cleaned his manor. _

"_They didn't tell you anything about what happens when you arrived did they? Just told you what chores they expected to be done."_

_She didn't respond. _

"_Well I'm sure you'll figure it out soon enough. You look bright as well."_

_She tilted her face. _

"_What will I figure out?"_

_Pierce just looked at her and then he looked over as the Duke approached, Miranda one step behind him from the gardens. Something on her friend's face forced Amelia into silence._

* * *

Amelia and Ethan had been riding in the buggy and she'd been remembering the past. Back when her ex-husband had seemed genteel and handsome to her. Though that hadn't been why she married him…at least not the only reasons.

Ethan glanced over at her.

"You okay?"

She nodded.

"I just want to see what this Butler wants with us."

"I'll make sure he doesn't try to get the jump on us…just in case his intentions aren't good."

She nodded again.

"If he could just tell us where Miranda and the baby are…and we can find them."

"We'll find them Amelia…"

God she hoped so. But she couldn't drop the idea that Miranda had come to the city to search for something, perhaps in her past or their past. They reached Golden Gate Park where some people waked the paths that wove through the famous groves of trees planted there. They parked the buggy and then got out to go to the meeting spot.

Ethan slipped his arm around her and she glanced at him…just before she realized it was part of their guise to pretend to be engaged. She leaned against him anyway…realizing she'd missed an awful lot when she'd been gone. It might not be the right way to act considering he'd been courting two women at once. If it hadn't been for that…but then she looked ahead and saw the man standing there inside the gazebo.

Ethan walked up to him first.

"You Butler…"

The man who stood tall and wore a suit looked at both of them.

"You Miranda's friends?"

Amelia walked forward and nodded.

"I'm Amelia Lawson…he's my fiancé Ethan Cord…"

Butler frowned.

"Name's familiar…we met?"

Ethan shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe it's just the name being common."

Amelia glanced at him then back at Butler.

"Why did you tell us to come here?"

He paused.

"I seen her…she's back in town. Back looking for something…or someone."

"You know Miranda…from years back?"

He nodded.

"She worked at the manor as a maid. She mentioned you. I saw her once and she said she'd met up with you in Virginia City. She had a baby but left her husband there."

"He's looking for her. He might have men here or on their way."

Butler appeared to consider that.

"What does she want here?"

"I'm not sure…she mentioned the baby."

"She's got her baby with her."

Butler shook his head slowly.

"I'm not sure it's that baby…"

Ethan and Amelia looked at each other puzzled.

"What do you mean by that?"

Butler sighed.

"She said when she had a baby…she thought about when she'd been living here years ago and a child…Whether it was hers or not."

"Do you know where she is now?"

He paused then shook his head.

"I saw her once and then she faded away again. Haven't seen her since. But she's on a quest and if you find out why…you'll find her."

Amelia turned to Ethan.

"A baby…I'm not sure what that means."

Ethan nodded.

"We'll find out. Anything else?"

Butler shook his head.

"Just that the Duke still owns the manor and is coming to town later this week. He's hosting a party for the power players in the city…all the politicians."

Amelia pursed her lips.

"He used to do that all the time to gain favor."

That hardly surprised Ethan. That's how it worked in most major cities and some smaller towns as well. Butler gave them one more look and then blended back into the scenery of the park.

She turned towards Ethan.

"What will we do?"

"Find out more about this party...after we go talk to Bette…"

They left Golden Gate Park to go find her.


	72. Chapter 72

Dakota rode up into Paradise after checking out on the ranches which headed up against the mountains. He saw Edwina walk out of the post office seemingly preoccupied. Dressed more simply in a patterned outfit and wearing a matching bonnet on her head. She looked pretty to him but he knew she considered her competition, Stella to be flashier. What she didn't know was that Stella might have a past that she was running away from and that Dakota was trying to find out her secrets. Mostly to protect the children Ethan was raising as well as the marshal himself.

Though they hadn't been friendly when they met, Dakota had learned through time and a series of adventures to respect Ethan and look at him almost as the brother he never had in his own youth. But so far his digging on Stella hadn't yielded any information though he'd just gotten started. Edwina on the other hand came from a simpler background it appeared, the daughter of a farmer who'd helped raise her siblings which is what made her seem a natural with Ethan's niece and nephews.

He'd been about to head off to the saloon for a spot of whisky and a few rounds of poker to offset the winning steak reported by Amos who'd taken over Ethan's spot as the winner of most the pots. But something about Edwina made him change his mind. He got off his horse loosely tying it to a hitching post. She looked at him, in surprise. Her hand brushing a loose tendril of hair off of her face.

"Oh Dakota I didn't see you."

He tipped his hat at her and smiled like a gentleman.

"Good morning Edwina…"

She said hi to him and then she looked down the street seeing mostly emptiness. For some reason, the traffic was light today.

"Where you heading?"

"I just dropped by to check the mail and the wires. We haven't heard from Ethan yet."

"I don't think you will for a day or two yet. Ethan gets real busy with a job and he drops out of sight or a while."

She nodded.

"That's what I thought. I know he's busy looking for Miranda and her baby with Amelia."

"He won't quit until he finds them one way or another."

She smiled at him.

"You seem sure of that."

"Yes I am Ma'am," he said, "I've never met a man so tenacious in my life and I've seen many a man on a quest. Was on myself as determined a I could be but when I met up with Ethan…I realized I'd met my match in more ways than one."

"You weren't always friends?"

He shook his head. He didn't elaborate it because his relationship with the gunfighter turned marshal…too damn complicated for most to understand or to have the patience to hear. Edwina looked like she had both but he didn't want to bother her with the not so pretty details. She looked like a woman who hadn't been exposed to that sort of ugliness.

Then they saw Charlie walk out of the marshal's office followed by an irritated looking Carlton. Dakota walked over to the two of them.

"What you doing back in Paradise?"

Carlton looked at him as if he were a child.

"I'm here checking for reports on my wife…though I understand that this marshal of yours has joined up with Amelia and gone traveling."

Dakota looked at Charlie who shrugged.

"I just told him. Didn't know it was a secret."

Carlton shot Dakota a look.

"Aiding and abetting a woman who herself aided and abetted in the disappearance of my wife and child," he said, "I'm going to see what the governor has to say about that."

Dakota shook his head.

"He's out looking for your wife. Amelia didn't kidnap her but they're worried that someone else might have…do you have any enemies?"

Carlton snorted.

"I've got lots of enemies but I doubt any of them is responsible for Miranda turning up missing."

"How do you know that?"

Carlton just looked him in the eye.

"I just do…and I'm going to send my own men out to find her…and God help anyone who stands in my way."

* * *

Amelia mulled over the news that there was another baby in the mix involving Miranda and her reappearance here. A baby she'd had some years ago when she'd been working at the Manor? Miranda had been reticent on what her life had been like when Amelia left with Pierce to get married and move away from the city.

She'd thought often of her friend even while navigating her way through life married to a man who kept his own secrets from her including a separate life as a con artist…not to mention other women.

"That's some news he just gave us wasn't it?"

She glanced over at Ethan who sat in the buggy next to her as they headed back to the red light district to find Bette.

"I had no idea Ethan…really I didn't," she said, "She never told me about having another baby."

"Maybe she wanted to forget…after all she didn't keep it did she?"

Amelia shook her head, obviously not. But what had happened to the child?

"How old would it be now?"

Amelia tried to think.

"Nine or ten, I'd think."

They turned off the street into the narrower street. People walked on the sidewalk next to the saloons and bordellos. Amelia tried to look for Bette but couldn't spot her.

"I wonder if she's going to tell us anything."

Ethan kept an eye out for the saloon girl too.

"Or if she got frightened off since we saw her…"

"I don't know…I know the saloon owners keep tight control over their girls."

Amelia hoped that this one could shed light on what had happened with Miranda and where they might find her.

They parked the buggy and got out of it to head to the saloon where Bette worked. They saw a couple saloon girls.

"You need some loving?"

One of them had walked straight up to Ethan and smiled at him.

"He's mine Celia," the other said, "You keep your hands off of him."

Celia pouted and Ethan put his hands up between them.

"I'm more interested in the woman that I saw the other night…"

The two saloon girls looked at each other.

"Who was that?"

"Her name was Bette. Is she around?"

Celia curled her lip.

"Somewhere…I think the boss is with her now."

Ethan nodded.

"I'll wait."

"Why?"

"She's worth waiting for…"

Celia eyed Amelia standing there with them.

"You're going to fancy Celia…in front of her…is she your wife or something?"

Amelia smiled.

"Something…I need to talk with her too. I need some advice on how to keep my fiancé happy."

Celia smiled, nodding.

"I can do that for you honey. I'm real good at making a man happy."

Amelia smiled back.

"I imagine you are…but he likes Bette best for some reason."

Celia frowned.

"She's got no class. But there's no accounting for taste…maybe Lilac here can go find her."

Lilac shook her head.

"You go find her," she said, "I just got done and I need some fresh air."

Celia shrugged and went inside to see if she could find Bette while Ethan and Amelia waited.


	73. Chapter 73

Amelia looked at Ethan.

"You think Bette will come out and talk with us or will you have to go inside and see her?"

He pulled at his collar.

"I'm hoping she comes out here," he said, "I'm a little out of practice."

She bit back a smile.

"Oh come on Ethan…you were young once and did this sort of thing fairly often."

"Maybe…but I'm older now and I'm preparing to settle down."

She nodded.

"I know you are…but Ethan if she doesn't come out to talk to us, then you'll have to get that information for us."

He made a face.

"I don't think so."

Her brows lifted.

"You worried what Edwina and Stella are going to think? Sitting back in Paradise wanting to marry you and here you are outside a saloon."

"I'm here with you…and we're supposed to act like we're engaged right?"

He had her there. That had been the plan alright. She nodded, conceding that point.

"Okay then…what's it going to look like for our cover as an engaged couple if I'm carousing in a saloon in front of you?"

She sighed.

"It would look bad wouldn't it?

He nodded.

"You might kill me out of jealousy as well."

She pursed her lips.

"Maybe…"

"No maybes…I take this engaged thing rather seriously."

She paused.

"Yes you do….knowing that it perplexes me a bit about your plans of engagement."

"Plans…you mean with the two women back in Paradise."

She nodded.

"You can only marry one of them after all. And you haven't picked out which one yet have you?"

Ethan looked back at the saloon entrance but no one was coming out to see them yet. Not Bette or anyone else either.

"No…not yet," he said, "I think being away from the children for a while and seeing how they handle the household while I'm gone will help me make my decision."

"That makes some sense Ethan. Claire will certainly put them through their paces."

He rubbed the back of his neck.

"That's partly why I'm doing this…she's been taking charge of the household since she got there with her brothers. It's not her job…it should be mine and yet I'm away on my job…even with the marshaling, there's been times I stay in town overnight."

"Well having a wife will help Ethan," Amelia said, "if you pick wisely."

He shot her a look catching something in her voice.

"Meaning…"

"You go for substance over prettiness. Look at the person and not just the packaging."

He looked a bit bewildered.

"Can't I have both? A beautiful woman who's smart and resourceful…good with the children and can handle the…wifely duties."

She narrowed her eyes.

"The wifely…what?"

He sighed.

"You know what I'm talking about Amelia."

"I do…but I never thought of it as a duty Ethan. You didn't act like you did either Ethan…do you view your wife differently?"

He seemed taken aback just a little.

"Amelia…no I don't…I've just never been married before…that's all and I've only been engaged once."

She put a hand on her hip.

"My first engagement was quite short…much shorter than my second one."

"Amelia…"

She shook her head.

"I'm not thinking about the past," She said, "I know we've both moved forward from those days."

They both looked up to see Bette heading towards them by herself. She looked uncertain as she approached them.

"You want to talk to me?"

Amelia and Ethan looked at each other.

"We think you might be able to help us."

Ethan nodded and Bette just looked skeptical.

"Help you…I could help your man here if he has any problems," Bette said, "but I don't know about you."

Ethan shook his head.

"We want to talk about a friend of ours…a woman named Miranda. She came to the city and we can't find her. Amelia…my fiancée wants to include her in our wedding and…"

Bette put a hand up.

"I think I get the picture…I won't be making any money off of either of you but…you want me to help you."

Amelia reached into her purse.

"I can pay you money for any information on my friend…if it helps us find her."

Bette bit her lip.

"Okay I can always use some extra money on the side…that my boss here doesn't get to keep."

Amelia handed her several bills and Bette stashed them away in her dress. She motioned them aside to an alley.

"It's more private here…fewer questions."

They walked with her.

"Okay so have you seen Miranda?"

Bette sighed.

"I knew her…from years ago," she said, "back when she worked for the rich man on the top of the hill."

"You mean the manor? The one where the man who calls himself the Duke lives?"

Bette nodded.

"He's hardly a duke but he's loaded with cash. He spent a lot of time here in the district…with the men who owned the saloons…not the women themselves. Whatever he had outside of his marriage…it had nothing to do with saloon girls."

Amelia nodded.

"I know…he had no shortage of young women working with him at the manor.

Bette looked a bit nervous.

"There was a time or two…a woman would be brought down…for special services," she said, "Though it didn't happen often."

"Special services?"

"If they found themselves in what you high society folks call a delicate condition…we just call it a tragedy."

"Miranda…was she here?"

Bette appeared to think about it and then shrugged.

"I don't know…it might have been before my time," she said, "Some of the older girls might know but there's not many of them left."

"Any of them still in the city?"

"Most of them are dead…being a saloon girl takes a lot out of you. Makes your life move quicker."

That didn't surprise either Ethan or Amelia.

"We just want to find out what happened with Miranda…when she was in such a condition," Amelia said, "We heard that was the case."

"Why do you care?"

"I used to work at the manor too…at the same time she did…only I got married to a man and left the city. Before she found out she was with child."

Bette bit her lip.

"You might want to talk to Lily…she's older than me and somehow stayed alive," she said, "She lives several blocks away in a boarding house."

Amelia glanced at Ethan who nodded.

"We'll go see if we can find her," she said, "Thank you…"

Ethan thanked her and they both walked back to the buggy. Amelia looked down at her hands.

"I know what they're talking about," she said, "but I know that Miranda wouldn't ever do something like that…"

"You mean she'd have her baby…:

Amelia nodded.

"She was pretty religious Ethan…she would find it a sin."

Ethan remained quiet. Not even guessing what would go through Miranda's mind back then.

"I'm wondering Ethan if she came back here to try to find her child…something about giving birth to her baby made her remember."

"Maybe…but she may never find him or her."

Amelia knew that he'd be right but Miranda had always been pretty determined. If there was a way to find her child from years ago, she'd do it.

Now they just had to find her.


	74. Chapter 74

"I want to see Uncle Ethan…"

George's mouth curled into a pout as he stood in the kitchen not wanting to eat his breakfast. Claire had admonished him to do that before heading to school but he thought not.

"When's he coming back?"

Claire shrugged.

"He'll come back when he and Amelia find her friend."

George narrowed his eyes.

"I want him to come back now. I miss him."

She smiled to soften her attitude.

"I do too Georgie but he's got work to do. He's the marshal. You know that."

Her youngest brother mumbled something about knowing that and finally sank into his chair to eat his morning grits. Stella just looked at him and shook his head.

"You're not going to discipline him for being stubborn?"

Claire folded his arms.

"He's eating his breakfast. He's just missing Uncle Ethan, that's all. We all do."

Stella shook her head.

"I'd put him over my knee and spank him if he ever sassed me."

Claire just rolled her eyes and headed back to the kitchen. God, Stella was getting on her nerves. It wasn't like she was there most of the time so what right did she have to lecture them and threaten punishment the few times she just happen to be here? Edwina at least pitched in with the household work and Claire rather liked her. She didn't know which of the two her uncle would pick to marry if either. She knew that the more time he spent with Amelia…well she might be back in the picture as well. She knew that her uncle hadn't stopped loving the ex-banker even though she'd left him to go off and explore the world. Claire didn't begrudge her that. It's what she wanted to do herself when she was older and done with schooling. She wanted to travel across this great country and see every corner of it from coast to coast and the forests and prairies and even deserts in between. The train ride from St. Louis and the traveling they'd done with their mama had given them a taste of what lay out there.

She knew that Amelia had wanted to travel as well. She'd had an assortment of adventures with her husband, Pierce before getting as she called it, stuck in Paradise. Not that she hadn't settled there at least for a while. But it hadn't been just restlessness that had made her leave, and it hadn't been calming that part of her nature that had brought her back.

It hadn't just been her search for Miranda either. No, Claire might be young but she knew enough to know why Amelia had returned.

"Where is my hairbrush?"

Stella screeched again and Claire sighed. The door opened and Edwina came in carrying a bucket of milk from the cow.

"Not as much this morning," she said, "but then not as much feed either."

Claire sighed.

"We really need some rain," she said, "but it seems like it'll never come."

Edwina smiled.

"Oh it always does at some point. Even droughts reach their ends."

"I hope so…it's costing us money and I might have to do some work at Axelrod's store again."

Claire made a face just at the thought. She didn't like him much though he did pay her quite well to manage his books. She'd worked some for Amelia at the bank when she owned it so she'd discovered then she had the head for numbers and sorting out sums and differences. Stella popped her head out while brushing it.

"You do that Claire. We need more money. I'm fresh out of that body cream."

Claire and Edwina just looked at each other.

"Just give her the stuff you put on Effie's udder," Edwina said, "She'll never know the different."

Claire tried not to laugh and then went to fetch it.

* * *

Amelia got ready for supper down at the restaurant. Ethan went to wash up and that gave her some time alone to think. She'd been ruminating over the realization that Miranda's had a baby years ago in San Francisco. After Amelia had run off with Pierce…ran away from some fate that she didn't understand…just like she'd run away from Paradise to get away from the danger of Ethan's life.

Had she run whenever faced with a crisis in her life? Is that how she defined herself? But then no, she had faced many a crisis in her life. Smallpox epidemics, mining explosions, outlaws out for revenge, preachers who weren't what they appeared to be…and the list just went on. She'd taken Ethan's children in her own home when it became too dangerous for them with their uncle or he'd been locked up somewhere or taking off after some fugitive or off reliving the past with some other gunfighter.

It hadn't been one single action or event that had made her leave Paradise. Oh, he getting shot by his ex-brother in law had been the catalyst perhaps but she'd been wanting to leave before that. No, it'd been her ex-husband Pierce who'd run away from any consequences for his con artistry. He'd left her high and dry after all for three years before returning to town and only to steal her money from her to pay off some men who'd come after him. Then he'd fled a jail cell again…until the next time they crossed paths.

The door opened and Ethan walked back in.

"Ready to go?"

She nodded and went to get her wrap.

"You thinking about the news we got about Miranda?"

She couldn't deny it. She'd been thinking about it nonstop.

"I should have known Ethan…but that still doesn't tell me how it happened. Who fathered her baby and what happened to it? Is he or she still alive and where? Is Miranda out looking for her child?"

Ethan sighed.

"Lots of questions Amelia and only one person can answer them all."

She nodded.

"Miranda…and we still have no idea where she's gone."

"She's here most likely still and someone will know where. We just got to find that person."

She smiled at him but she felt a bit weary from the day's events.

"I hope so…I hoped Butler would be a greater help but at least he didn't try to ambush us or anything."

He nodded.

"Look I got to stop at the wire office on the way. Best I send one to Claire to let her know I won't be back for a while."

She pursed her lips.

"You fine with that? I know you worry about the children."

"They're in good hands with Claire and the two women looking out for them and John Taylor will show up at just the right time if needed."

She chuckled.

"He's got a talent for that."

He offered her his arm.

"So we'd best get going," he said, "We need to start planning for what we're going to do next."

"Of course…"

But she thought looking at him, he'd been as handsome as she'd remembered all those months. She remembered the times they'd gone to Scotty's restaurants to spend time together while he'd courted her. The times she didn't want to remember right now because they'd just get in the way of what she had to do.

She had to find Miranda…for reasons beyond what she'd explained to him. Some secrets were to be kept after all.


	75. Chapter 75

Stella marveled in the skin cream that Claire had given her thinking it made her skin nice and soft. Ethan would adore it when he returned and saw her. She knew that he found her very pretty, very feminine. When they'd been at the bottom of that hotel staircase, she'd felt something between them. Well she'd work on that when he returned. They say, absence did make the heart grow fonder, or heated up the desire.

She smiled in the mirror as she styled her hair. Claire had taken the boys to school in the wagon and Edwina was out tending to the chickens. Let her do all that drudgery as she'd grown up on a farm and was used to it. Stella didn't want to get used to it. When she and Ethan married, he'd build them a nice bigger house maybe closer to town and maybe, just maybe she get a small shop to open up to keep her busy and hire some people to do the work.

Yes, life would be looking up for her if her plan worked as she had designed it when she saw his advertisement for a bride.

Then of course there was the matter of needing some money to pay off some old debts. She heard the door open and knew that Edwina had returned.

Sure enough, her competition walked in carrying a basket of more eggs. The hens had been producing them like gangbusters and the boys had said it was because Edwina had been singing to them at night before the boys turned in for the night.

"I'm going to head into town," Edwina said, "I'll see if there's any word from Ethan or Amelia."

Stella curled her lip in distaste.

"I can't believe we haven't seen anything. We should have by now."

Edwina shrugged as she went into the kitchen area and put the eggs aside. She put some dried dishes away back in the cabinet.

"I thought you were doing to put the dishes away."

Stella sighed.

"I was…busy. I'm going to go to town too. I have to pick up some more fabric from the mercantile."

"For what? You already picked out so much of it and charged it on Ethan's credit."

Stella smiled.

"We need new curtains. It's a bit drab in here."

"What about the last fabric you bought yesterday?"

Stella shook her head.

"Not good enough. I want to surprise Ethan when he comes back from that long arduous trip. I mean after spending all that time with his ex-fiancée he'll be ready for something uplifting."

Edwina narrowed her eyes.

"You never know Stella. They could rekindle old feelings and wind up back together."

Stella snapped.

"I don't think so. What can she possibly give him that I…I mean one of us can't? She had her chance and needs to really move on. There's men out there who might like the company of a divorcee."

"Well I think it's a possibility so I don't think you should count your chickens before they hatch, that's all. I mean I won't…because you just never know what's going to happen."

"I don't think he'll come back wanting to marry her," Stella countered, "I think one of us will be the more obvious choice and he'll know which one of us he wants to marry."

She didn't add that she just knew Ethan was going to pick her.

* * *

Amelia saw a man she knew to be Walt who smiled when he saw them arrive. He was a business partner of her friend.

He took her hand, kissing it.

"Amelia…"

She smiled at him.

"This is my fiancé Ethan Cord."

He nodded.

"I've heard about you…notorious gunfighter of the West."

"Ex-gunfighter. I'm a marshal back in Paradise now."

Walt digested that.

"You're out here looking for Amelia's friend. Had any luck?"

Ethan glanced at her and then back at Walt.

"No…she could be anywhere in San Francisco unless she's left the city."

Walt smiled.

"It's always possible. The city has its charms but some do grow weary of them. May I find you a table."

Amelia nodded with a smile.

"Yes Please…"

He led them to one in the outside patio area and there were heat lamps in case they were needed. But it was still quite warm. When they were seated, she looked at Ethan.

"He's more of a friend of Pierce's. They go back to when Pierce first came out West from Virginia."

"So he's been out here a while then."

She nodded.

"Yes…back to when Miranda and I worked in the manor but we never really saw him. Not that I remember and not associated with Pierce."

"So he wouldn't know anything…"

She frowned.

"I wouldn't think so. I mean I didn't know that she had a baby Ethan. I suppose I shouldn't be shocked but I am."

"Maybe that's why she wanted you to leave…"

Amelia shook her head.

"I don't think she was with child when I left. She didn't mention anything about it. It must have happened soon after though."

He seemed to digest that.

"Then Pierce said something to me once…before we got married about her and the Duke."

"He's the head of the manor?"

She nodded.

"He fancied some of the women who worked there," she said, "Even though he had a wife. There'd been several women who suddenly vanished…we weren't told much about them."

"You think it was the Duke?"

She sighed.

"I don't know…I don't know how to find out without finding her."

He nodded as the waiter brought them some wine.

"What happened to him?"

She sipped her drink.

"I think he traveled all over the country but still vacations here. There's going to be a gala there later this week so he must be back in town because he never missed them."

"You want to go?"

She smiled.

"I don't think I've got anything to wear. They're very fancy."

"Doesn't matter. You look pretty in anything."

She looked at her hands.

"Ethan that's nice of you to say…"

"I mean it."

She felt her cheeks flush.

"There's some boutiques near the hotel. Maybe I'll see if I can find anything there."

He nodded.

"You might need a nice suit yourself."

He frowned.

"I was hoping not to think of that."

She chuckled.

"You fill out one very nicely," she said, "You're a very good looking man Ethan and don't tell me you've never had a woman say that."

"No…can't say that but some of them were just saying that."

She paused.

"Not me…you know that don't you?"

He nodded.

"Yes I do…"

She smiled again.

"Before the night of the party, we need to find out more about who's going to be there and keep looking for Miranda."

"We'll do that…we'll find her Amelia I know we will."

She felt tears sting her eyes. She hoped so…she didn't want to find out something bad had happened to her friend but with Carlton and his men closing in…she knew they had to find her soon.


	76. Chapter 76

Dakota sighed as he sat in the marshal's office. Now that Ethan was out of town, he wore that responsibility quite close to him. It wasn't like a coat you could take off. He'd just returned from rescuing a child's pet hen from a coyote.

Not exactly in the job description but Ethan had told him when he took the deputy position that they had to be ready for everything. He didn't mind it much but he missed his late night poker games and hitting back a few shots of whisky.

He'd gotten a wire from Ethan that stated he and Amelia would be staying longer in San Francisco than anticipated. They'd gotten some leads to Miranda but hadn't found her or the baby yet. Dakota slapped it down on the desk. Oh great, that meant at least another week in this position. Axelrod and Amos had been hassling him earlier about some ruffian dashing around after sunset and smashing windows. They'd shown up when he'd been eating his breakfast after a long night spent riding out looking for signs of rustlers hitting the ranches and demanded he do something about it. He didn't yell back at him because he knew it'd get back to Ethan when he returned.

So he said he'd look into it and get Charlie to help him out. He'd been expecting wires with information on Stella to see if she was fleeing the law and hiding out in Paradise but nothing so far. He knew she harbored a secret and for Ethan's sake, he needed to figure it out.

He thought about talking to Edwina again. A sweet young woman who'd been helping out so much with the children and the ranch when Ethan was gone. She'd given Claire a breather and it'd been good for the young girl who'd spent way too much time playing surrogate mother to her brothers. Dakota admired her for that…she seemed to be smart and resourceful.

A bit too serious though, but then she'd lost a lot at such a young age. He knew the feeling. She did seem to like Edwina a bit even though she locked horns with Stella over household chores.

"You wanted to see me?"

He looked up and saw Edwina standing in the doorway, looking pretty enough in her plaid dress. She didn't wear fancy outfits like her competition but she didn't need to do that.

He smiled at her and gestured to her to come inside.

"Am I in trouble Marshal?"

"I told you to call me Dakota."

She nodded and sat down in a nearby chair, just watching him. He cleared his throat.

"I wanted to talk to you about…Stella. How well do you know her anyway?"

Edwina wrinkled her brow, thinking about it

"Well, not very well," she said, "We met at the train station and shared a stagecoach. Amelia was with us."

"Yes she was…did you talk to Stella at all?"

She pursed her lips.

"Some…I mean we were traveling together. We mostly talked to pass the time spent in the coach."

He digested that information. She tilted her face looking at him.

"Why are you asking me all these questions Marshal?"

"Dakota…"

She shrugged and then just kept looking at him. He took a deep breath and exhaled it wondering how much he should reveal to her about his suspicions.

"No reason…I'm just curious, that's all," he said, "She seems to be such a…vivacious woman and you are quieter, more reserved…"

She arched her brows.

"Anything wrong with that?"

He shook his head.

"Not at all…sometimes I think there's just more to Stella than what she's saying."

She leaned back in her chair.

"Isn't that true of everyone…Dakota?"

He paused.

"Yes…but it's probably nothing but sometimes it seems that Stella's looking over her shoulder."

"To see if someone's behind her?"

Edwina was picking up his train of thought quickly.

"You think she's some kind of fugitive?"

Dakota proceeded carefully.

"I think she's hiding something."

Edwina grew pensive.

"That might be true but I don't think it's anything serious. Maybe she just couldn't make it where she was living."

"Maybe…"

Dakota didn't want to say more because he didn't want to upset her.

"Don't worry about it," he said, "It's probably nothing anyway. I'm sure everything is just fine."

But he still wondered.

* * *

Amelia had tried to fall asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Ethan took his side of the bed and he must have been really tired because he nodded off. She'd tried not to disturb him. It was strange to share a bed with him but it made more sense than him trying to sleep comfortably on the chaise. He'd behaved himself at any rate…he had his future wife to think about waiting back in Paradise.

Well two women vying for that position. He hadn't said which one he favored yet. He hadn't talked about it much at all. They'd both been so focused on their quest.

She found herself thinking of her marriage to Pierce. Back then she thought she'd been in love with him but it'd been more like infatuation. They hadn't really known each other when they got married. She'd been so young, too young. He'd seemed worldly to her…so intelligent and sophisticated.

It'd taken a while before she figured out there were parts of him that hadn't grown up. After all, even before he'd left Paradise, he'd pretty much abandoned her. Even when…but she shrugged those memories away from her. They'd do no good to her now, to remember.

She'd awoken one morning to find him gone. He'd never returned from his poker match at the hotel where he spent all his nights. Not that she saw him much during the day while she slaved at his bank. She hated him for so long not just for leaving her, but leaving her chained to a bank she couldn't sell to get herself out of the dying mining town. All she could think about was getting enough money to cut her ties to Paradise and never look back.

If her husband's desertion had complicated things, falling in love with Ethan had made that downright impossible. Looking back before that, she realized that while she'd been curt to him even rude, he'd always been kind to her. She owed him so much even before they became friends.

He didn't know how much and he'd never know. Just like he'd never know the real reason she'd run from him a year ago.

"You awake Amelia?"

She looked down at him and saw his eyes open. He propped up on a shoulder and looked at her.

"You ever sleep…you used to back when we were…courting."

She smiled at him.

"I'm just thinking. I can't stop thinking about how hard it must have been for Miranda to be with child and on her own. She wasn't much older than Claire when I left."

"Maybe she wasn't alone. Maybe she left the baby with someone."

Amelia considered that.

"Maybe…that must have been so hard Ethan. I can't imagine having to make that choice…if it was a choice."

He reached out and stroked a strand of hair off her face.

"Miranda made a life for herself."

Amelia sighed.

"Yeah she hooked up with an abusive husband. I think she was looking for someone to save her."

"Like Pierce saved you?"

She just stared into his eyes.

"I don't know…I know I wanted to leave the manor but I was quite smitten with him. He was just so different from any man I'd ever met."

"But you never had children."

Her expression hardened right after the shock of his question faded.

"Why do you ask that?"

He looked uncomfortable.

"I don't know. I just did."

She swallowed, her throat dry.

"No obviously we didn't. I don't think he wanted children. He was in some ways like a child himself."

Ethan digested that. Her face softened.

"What about you Ethan? Did you ever have any children?"

He grew pensive and shook his head.

"No…children have no place in the life of a gunslinger."

She bit back a smile.

"Clearly you've had a change of heart."

He sighed.

"They had nowhere else to go. I had to take them in. Then everything changed."

"So what are you going to do when the woman you marry wants children," she said, "your children?"

He just looked at her. She arched a brow.

"You have thought about it haven't you Ethan?"

"No…no I haven't," he said, "I hadn't thought that far along."

"Maybe you'd better start thinking…who knows maybe Stella will want a half dozen…"

His eyes widened and she almost chuckled. Ethan sighed.

"Somehow I doubt it. I'm not even sure she likes the children. I think she just tolerates them."

"She's more interested in their uncle I imagine," Amelia said, "but she's going to have to realize you're a package deal like any woman."

He paused a long moment.

"Even you?

She didn't answer for a long moment.

"Yeah…remember I fled the scene when considering what would happen if I had to raise them without you?"

He sighed.

"You're a young woman Amelia who always wanted to see the world out there. I missed you but I knew that."

"You did?"

He nodded.

"Besides John Taylor told me you'd be back."

She frowned.

"He did? Truthfully Ethan I didn't even know that. I got…scared. I wasn't thinking…I thought if you died, a part of me would die too."

"I didn't die Amelia and I plan to stick around longer."

She nodded.

"I know…I had time to think about it and decided I could have lived with it. I just needed to see what was out there first but I couldn't run away from myself."

"So you came back…"

She shrugged slightly.

"It doesn't matter anyway. You've got not one but two women keeping you busy."

"Amelia…"

She patted her pillow.

"We'd better get to sleep so we can get up early to keeping looking."

He looked at her and nodded.

"I'll see you in the morning…"


	77. Chapter 77

_Amelia straightened out her dress as she entered the library. The guests from the party were milling out in the dining area into the ballroom, talking and laughing while servants served them food and drink carried on silver platters. China plates and crystal pitchers of refreshment and the clink of silverware as the men and women, many of them quite distinguished ate dinner. _

_She'd slipped away because she'd been asked to meet the Duke in the library because he wanted to speak to her about something. She didn't know what. He'd paid her some attention but had been focused on some of the older girls who worked for him. _

_Still if he asked her to do something, it really was an order and she had to comply with it. She didn't want to be punished or cast out on the street without a roof over her head. _

_After all, some of the servant women had disappeared suddenly in the middle of the night. Sometimes when she'd feigned sleep she'd heard raised voices in the hallway with a woman pleading with one of the older housekeepers not to have to leave the house. _

_Those girls were never seen again. A couple of days later, maybe a week, another young woman would be there wearing a chambermaid outfit to help them. _

_When she walked into the vast library with bookshelves lining every wall save the one which boasted the stone fireplace. _

"_Amelia…"_

_She nearly jumped not hearing the Duke walk into the room behind her. Suddenly he was close behind her. She felt his hand on her shoulder and she flinched. _

_He chuckled. _

"_Did I frighten you? I'm sorry about that…and keeping you waiting but I was busy with other guests."_

_She shrugged after turning around to look at him. _

"_That's okay. I've got more work to do myself…"_

_He shook his head. _

"_In a few minutes I'll turn you back over to the housekeeper but I want to talk to you. I don't feel I know you that well."_

_She lifted her chin up. _

"_Is that necessary? I'm just a servant. One of many in your household."_

_She smiled to cover her nervousness. He did unnerve her, with his size and his status. He was handsome though not conventionally so. Still he turned many a woman's head and she didn't know if that was his looks or his money. _

_Probably both in some cases. _

"_You're one of the better ones I'm told," He said, "That will be very useful to you…to follow direction well."_

"_Excuse me?"_

_He stepped closer. _

"_I have a proposal to you. I'm in need of an assistant here at the house," he said, "When I'm busy conducting business. Someone who can sort through files, write correspondence, read financial notices. Can you do that?"_

_She considered his question. _

"_Yes I can. I've got some schooling including before I came here."_

"_Ah yes…you are Australian born and immigrated her on sponsorship, one of many that my family does," he said, "It's good publicity and we can always use hired help around the house."_

_She gasped, wondering why he was being so blunt with her. _

"_But you are capable of much more than that," he said, stroking a lock of hair out of her face, "Aren't you?"_

_She didn't flinch but took a step backward. _

"_I don't know what you mean."_

_He smiled at her. _

"_Course you do," he said, "You're pretty enough to have attracted a fellow or two…I've heard stories about immigrant women and what they'll do to get citizenship."_

_She narrowed her eyes. _

"_I've heard them too but that's not me. I don't know if I'll be staying here long enough."_

"_You've got to work off your contract with me," he said, "It's part of the arrangement I made with your parents."_

_She blinked her eyes. _

"_But…"_

"_You're here for five more years Amelia…then you can do whatever you want," he said, "If you do what I want, I can cut that time in half."_

_She shook her head backing a step away. He grabbed her by the wrist tightly. _

"_You see my last…assistant. She had to leave suddenly and I need a new one," he said, "I think you'll do just nicely…"_

_She just looked at him. _

"_How can you…"_

"_So easily…"_

_Then they both heard footsteps come up behind them and he suddenly released her wrist. She rubbed it with her other hand. _

"_Interrupting something?"_

_She turned around and saw Pierce standing there in the doorway. The Duke shook his head. _

"_No Amelia and I were just talking…about the dessert menu."_

_Pierce looked at her, his eyes brimming with what looked concern. _

"_You okay?"_

_She nodded. _

"_I'm fine…it's just that the dessert will be delayed a few minutes…excuse me…"_

_She hurried out of there with both men looking at her._

* * *

Amelia woke up in a rush, waking up Ethan in the process. He looked at her with sleepy eyes, morning stubble on his jaw visible in the dim lighting.

"You okay Amelia?"

She looked at him nodding.

"Just a dream…that's all."

He adjusted himself so that he could look at her.

"You seem to be having more of them waking you up than I remember."

She glanced away.

"It's nothing."

"I don't believe you. You can't even look at me when you say that."

She sighed in exasperation.

"Okay…I had a dream about the Duke…and Pierce."

Ethan arched a brow.

"Must have been interesting…what was it about?"

She paused.

"The Duke wanted me to work for him as…his assistant."

Ethan looked at her carefully.

"Something tells me that's not the whole story…"

"It's not…he wanted me to perform other services for him."

"Meaning…"

She rolled her eyes. Was he going to make her spell it out?

"You know what I mean Ethan."

"I think I do. But you didn't do it…"

She sighed.

"Would it matter if I did? Would you look at me differently?"

He shook his head.

"Amelia…it doesn't matter to me whether you did or didn't," he said, "The life I'd lived, the decisions I had to make…I'm the last to judge anyone."

She rolled over on her side facing him.

"Now when it comes to him I'm inclined to think differently," Ethan said, "He shouldn't have taken advantage of you working for him…it's wrong what he asked you to do."

She smiled at him.

"He did it to other women there who took them on his offer," she said, "not that it mattered. It didn't turn out good for them."

"Meaning…"

"They left the house at night and never returned. I don't know what happened to them."

"You think someone…"

She shook her head.

"Maybe he just sent them away when he got tired of them."

Ethan considered that.

"So Pierce interrupted him…"

"Yes I don't know what they said after I left but I saw more of Pierce after that. He seemed nice enough and he shared stories of his travels all over the country…even to Europe. I told him that someday I'd go travel myself…when I had the money of course. It was just a dream I had back then…"

"But you made it come true," Ethan said, "You did take off traveling."

"I ran away…from you, the children and Paradise…at first but then I did go to different places, had an adventure or two…then I found myself coming back. So I wound up with Miranda in Virginia City for a while."

"When she had her baby…"

"Yeah beautiful…I hope she's with her mother. I hope they stay free."

Ethan sighed.

"We'll find them," he said, "I promise you we won't stop looking until we do."

She smiled at him.

"Thank you…I'm sorry to drag you away from your…courtships back in Paradise."

He rolled over on his back.

"I'm not so sure there's anything to be sorry about," he said, "Maybe it's not the best plan but I didn't want some judge taking the children away from me."

"I know…you'd do anything for them. You're a good uncle but a better father."

"I'm not sure about that. I'm having second thoughts about the whole plan."

She shrugged.

"Maybe there's another way to keep them with you," she said, "I know a couple great lawyers in Reno. I could wire them to see if they can find another…legal way to keep custody without getting married."

He sighed.

"Maybe after we're done here I'll take you up on that."

She got up.

"We should get up and get ready for breakfast," she said, "I want to keep looking and we have to get ready for that soiree at the manor later this week."

He agreed, thinking that sounded like a plan.


End file.
